


The Bloodmoon Prophecy

by daedric princess of madness (actualbastila)



Series: Nerevarine Rising Trilogy [3]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon, Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Genre: Bloodmoon, Drug Use, Flashbacks, Gen, Morrowind, Other, References to Drugs, Sequel, Sexual Harrassment, Swearing, maybe some original content or altering the plot slightly to make more sense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-04-22 23:06:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 41,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14319072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/actualbastila/pseuds/daedric%20princess%20of%20madness
Summary: After the aftermath of the death of the Tribunal, Ulina attempts to make the truth of those events known, only to be actively shunned and rejected by the people of Morrowind. Tired of being unappreciated for her efforts, she sets off alone for Solstheim. Only the island of Solstheim has troubles of it's own. After the captain of Fort Frostmoth mysteriously disappears, Ulina sets off to find him only to get caught of up yet another prophesy, only this time without the guidance of Azura.NOTE: rating has been bumped up for being darker than the previous installments, what with stronger language at times and maturer themes. however, it's references at most and not by much, so if you enjoyed the other two, i don't think they'll be much of an issue here.*COMPLETE as of 11/21/18*





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, y'all, and welcome to The Bloodmoon Prophecy. I am excited to announce that it's now finished and I am ready to start officially posting this story publicly!
> 
> I'm aware that the previous installments in this series were rated T, but this one has been bumped up to M simply due to stronger language at times and more mature themes. Not by much, but I feel it's better to be safer than sorry.
> 
> \- Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls belongs to Bethesda Game Studios  
> \- Julan Kaushibael, and any characters associated with his storyline/mod belong to the wonderful Kateri. You can download the mod here: http://lovkullen.net/Emma/Kateri.htm
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

**Prologue**

_5th of Rain's Hand, 3E 429_

_"Ow!"_

_All I could feel was excruciating pain from Serethi tearing the knots out of my hair. I felt as if my entire scalp would be torn away from my head. Serethi sighed._

_"Keep_ still,  _Ulina," she snapped, before proceeding to pull the brush through my hair again. I turned to Eriama, who was sitting across from us in a comfortable looking chair, seemingly bored with her environment. She kept fidgeting in ways that normally irritated Serethi. I was waiting any moment for her to just blow up._

_"Eriama, stop that now," Serethi snarled. "I know you are angry because I said you couldn't go out and play this Loredas, but until you learn to stop disrespecting me, you won't."_

_Eriama said nothing, and my eyes darted towards the scars on Serethi's arms. They were starting to fade, but I could still see them in the light._

_"Serethi?"_

_"Yes, Ulina?"_

_"Did you hurt yourself?" I nodded towards the scars on her arms._

_Serethi blanched._

_"Of course I did," she said._

_"But how?"_

_"Never you mind," she said quickly in response. I decided I wasn't going to get very far when speaking to Serethi, as she never wanted to talk about herself. Or anything at all, really._

_My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when I heard the front door open. My father entered the room, and then frowned slightly._

_"Ulina's hair is getting everywhere," he told Serethi as a way of greeting. I tried not to scowl. That was just another reminder of how much I hated having the bushy, red hair that I did. How come everyone else in my family was lucky to have dark, straight hair but I had this? It made no sense._

_Serethi scoffed in response._

_"You can brush her hair instead, if you prefer, Sera I-Never-Know-How-To-Do-Anything," she told him scathingly. "And while you're at it, convince her she needs to have her hair brushed every day. You know what she's like."_

_Serethi was about to begin the process of braiding my hair now as well, and at that time I was fed up. I hated having my hair braided. Serethi's braids always felt like heavy weights pulling my hair down._

_"I hate my hair," I suddenly declared. At that point, Eriama, who had been pretending to read a book for the past few minutes, looked up in surprise._

_My father chuckled._

_"Ulina, you are only ten years old," he said. "You are too young to hate anything."_

_"But I do!" I insisted. "It's red and curly and a mess. Why can't it be more like yours or Eri's or -"_

_My father then suddenly burst out laughing. I heard Serethi sigh. I turned to Eriama, who was watching the scene with interest._

_"I think you got your hair from your mother's side of the family," he remarked._

_I saw Eriama scowl._

_"Father, you said our mother looked like me," she suddenly spoke, after being silent for most of the time. Father nodded._

_"Yes, Eri, she did," he told her, before turning back to me. "But, Ulina...I never said you looked like your mother...although you do, in a way. I said you took after her side of the family."_

_"Enough, Dranen," Serethi snapped, using a dark tone I had never heard from her before. She turned to me. "Ulina, I've finished with your hair now. Eriama, come here please."_

The sounds from outside the window suddenly caused me to remember where I was. Solstheim, not Cyrodiil. I was no longer a child. My family was a family no longer. And my hair was in the worst state it had ever been in. I suddenly became painfully aware of my surroundings; I was in a small, cramped room in an old fort, trying to sleep on an old, tattered bedroll. Outside, I heard the sounds of now happy soldiers cheering, after many miserable sober months. I didn't entirely blame them. They had been surrounded by no one except themselves, and the prisoners. And considering most of the prisoners were murderers, rapists and traitors, they didn't make for the best company.

Yes, on my first day on this isolated island, I had apparently turned Fort Frostmoth into the opposite of what it was. Nuncius didn't really like others having fun, you see. Good thing he ended up getting his comeuppance in the end.

Somehow, I had found myself here on this island as well, mostly with the hope that no one and nothing would find me and bother me ever again. I felt like a failure and as if I had been cheated. Somehow, deep down, I knew it was foolish to hope for such a thing, but I felt I owed it to myself and everyone else to try.

I picked up my large, heavy and ink stained journal from beside me, flipping through pages upon pages of my life over the past two years. Knowing I wasn't going to sleep anytime soon, I jumped to the next empty page and began to write the last part of my story.


	2. The Tip of the Iceberg

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for language, harrassment and drug usage here.

**Chapter One: The Tip of the Iceberg**

_5th of Rain's Hand, 3E 429_

The ship shook, as it had for the past two days, leaving me feeling an uncomfortable familiarity I hadn't properly felt since I had arrived in Vvardenfell, almost two years ago. I sat on my bedroll, nursing a bottle of energy potion mixed with alcohol to try and keep me awake a few hours longer.

I knew I should sleep, but I  _couldn't._ If I did, I would awake from nightmares I could no longer stand. I would relive the events in the Clockwork City, with images of Julan's broken body haunting me ten times more than it already did, reminding me of how much of a failure I was. So, I put it off, instead trying to soothe myself by rocking in time with the ship, with the cold air touching my bare skin.

On the other side of the ship, I heard the sound of a baby crying. I had to remind myself that most of the people travelling to Solstheim were the families of soldiers. Either that, or some of the  _worst_ criminals, but they were nowhere to be seen. I hazarded a guess that they were in some other area of the ship.

Soon enough, the ship came to a sudden stop. I felt as if I was about to jump out of my skin when it did.

One by one, everyone left the ship. When I did, I felt my eyes burn. It was an unpleasantly familiar feeling; seeing light after being in the dark for far too long.

Ahead, I saw a large stone building. The architecture was vaguely Cyrodillic in design. It looked a bit like a fort.

I couldn't help but wonder how long it had been here.

"Welcome to Solstheim, jewel of absolutely nowhere," I heard a croaky voice announce as a large group of people – mostly Imperials and Nords, with a handful of Redguards – lined up and started heading towards the building. It was an Argonian speaking. He stood next to an Imperial guard, who was writing things down on a list. "It's a miserable place…even for the warmbloods."

I thought I saw him grimace, before he eyed me suspiciously, and then continued.

"If you want to leave, I'd be happy to take you back to Vvardenfell," he said, hissing the words before adding, "that is, if you are here by  _choice."_

After the Argonian said those words, I felt a sudden chilliness in the air that seemingly wasn't there before. And Solstheim was a cold place, believe me.

"Captain Carius is the commander here. Not a bad man, but he is a  _fool_  for remaining in this place," the Argonian turned to the Imperial Guard beside him at that, and then turned to the list in his hands, nodding before confirming something. While that happened, I heard someone in the crowd snort in disbelief.

"Of course _he_  would think the captain's a fool for being here," I heard someone mutter. "He's one of the lizards! Those bootskins can't handle even a  _little_  cold!"

At that, the Imperial Guard looked up from his list.

"Quiet, Nord!" He barked. "You should consider yourself lucky to be  _alive_ considering what  _you've_  done _._ I don't want to hear another word from you!"

At that, the crowd turned completely silent again as the Argonian – Basks-In-The-Sun I think his name was – continued. I couldn't be entirely sure, but I thought I saw him flash me a toothy, smug grin.

"So cold," he muttered then. "So  _cold."_

Basks-In-The-Sun then sighed, before continuing.

"If you are here about the  _colony,_ as I'm sure many of you are, Carnius Magius is the man you will speak to. You can find him at the Imperial Cult Shrine."

Everyone lined up, preparing to be processed and then let onto the island. I looked around, getting the feeling that I was the only Dunmer in the crowd. I usually didn't care much about race, but I couldn't help as if it made me stick out like a sore thumb. As if I didn't have too many reasons as to why I would to begin with.

As soon as they got to me, I felt the guard and Basks-In-The-Sun look at me in surprise and indignation.

"This warmblood does not belong," Basks-In-The-Sun hissed in my direction. The Guard looked up at me, and then looked at the list in front of him, before turning back to me.

"Name?"

"Ulina Therayn," I replied.

The guard looked momentarily bewildered.

"Your name is not on the list. What is your business here?"

"To escape," was all I managed to say. The guard looked at me, before sighing and writing something else down.

"Take this to the Captain," he told me, handing me the piece of paper. I took it and didn't bother to read it at all, instead heading over the bridge with the prisoners and potential colonists. As soon as I entered the courtyard, I felt several pairs of eyes land on me with suspicion, and then the whispers that followed.

Seems I  _was_  right about me sticking out like a sore thumb.

"You have no business here,  _Dark Elf,"_  I heard someone hiss. An older, Imperial guard with extensive facial scars was glaring at me in a way that sent chills down my spine.

_Dark Elf._

Now those were some words I hadn't heard myself being referred to as in a very, very long time. Not since Cyrodiil, even.

"Why is that?" I asked, my tone cautious.

"We don't like you ashskins here," I heard another guard interject venomously.

I scowled. Some part of me was happy to see that they clearly had no idea who I was or who they were dealing with. But I was also tired of being underestimated.

"Well you'd better get used to it then," was all I managed to ground out in response, before continuing on my way.

The inside of the fort was covered in Imperial regalia, mostly tapestries, statues and other such things. I felt as if I had been transported back in time.

_Serethi had finished making the long, grey dress and white coat I was to wear when I started school at the Temple of the One. She had been preparing me for months, and now it was Hearthfire._

_Now it was the day._

_Serethi had done my hair into a fancy braid, and made sure I looked neat, tidy and presentable._

_I couldn't help but feel as if she was trying to make a good impression of herself more than me._

_"Come along, Ulina," she said to me, "You want to learn to read and write, don't you?"_

_I nodded, and Serethi took my hand in hers, and then took Eriama's with her other, before opening the front door and marching us down the stairs and into the busy market streets. I couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by my surroundings. There were so many people, from so many walks of life. People of many different races, ages and sizes were around me. The Imperial City was the largest city in Tamriel, with people from all over the empire. None of this should have come as a surprise to me, but it did, largely due my limited exposure to what was outside my front door up until this point._

_I grasped tighter to Serethi's hand, unable to fully process everything that was going on at the time. We passed though the Talos Plaza and Elven Gardens districts, until we reached the Temple District. As soon as we entered the building, I could help but notice the bright red and gold tapestries that hung on the wall. The first face I really noticed was one of the apprentice healers, a young Argonian male with red and green scales. Jeelius. Nearby, I saw the teacher – an Imperial woman named Ingrid. They greeted us, and Serethi introduced me. Nearby, I saw all the other children sitting down to learn._

_I was the only elf in the class._

_I sat down next to a young, Imperial girl about my age. She looked over to me._

_"My name is Ida," she began. "What's yours?"_

_"Ulina."_

_She smiled, and handed me one of the quills that was in her hand. I took it and began to follow the instructions we received from Ingrid. Ida and I didn't talk much, but when we did, she was extremely friendly to me. I tried to be, but I had no idea if I succeeded._

_At the end of the day, all the parents of the children came to get their children. I saw Serethi with Eriama out of the corner of my eye, and ran towards them, not caring how I looked._

_And then, I thought I saw Ida follow me. She stood beside me and pointed towards a regal looking Imperial woman who was headed in our direction. She had her long, brown hair wrapped up in an elaborate bun, and was wearing a fancy looking blue dress. Her eyes landed on Ida. She didn't seem to notice me and my family at all._

_"Ida, my darling girl," she greeted. Ida smiled, and jumped into her mother's arms, before turning and pointing to me._

_"Mama, this is my friend, Ulina!" Ida cried. She sounded so happy. I practically beamed._

_I had never had_ anyone  _call me their friend before. Not in my entire life._

_Ida's mother wrinkled her nose in my direction._

_"Your friend is a…Dark Elf?" Her tone when saying those words made it sound as if she was about to spit in my direction. Serethi, who so far hadn't said anything, stepped forwards with Eriama's hand in hers and put her free hand firmly on my shoulder._

_"Yes," she stated coldly, "we are."_

_I looked towards Serethi. Her expression gave away her rage, even if she was trying to not to with her words._

_Ida's mother narrowed her eyes._

_"And you are?" She demanded._

_"I'm Serethi Therayn," Serethi said those words very icily. "I assume you would extend me the same courtesy by introducing yourself as well?"_

_"Alessia Ottus," said Ida's mother, nastily. "And I must say, the Gods must not be too happy right now, with me, all things considered..."_

_Her eyes drifted from Serethi to me and Eriama. Serethi gritted her teeth._

_"I suppose not," Serethi replied, her tone dry, "considering the Gods created us Dark Elves to assault your eyeballs, but I suppose no one can have everything, can they?"_

_Alessia Ottus's face suddenly went a bright pink._

_"How dare -?"_

_"Oh, don't pretend," Serethi snapped. "I've lived here in this city long enough to have seen plenty of your kind before. I've known you less than five minutes and I already know you to be a xenophobic Imperial woman with a superiority complex."_

_Alessia Ottus opened her mouth to speak, but Serethi didn't stop there._

_"I really wonder what the Gods would think of your hypocrisy," she continued, scathingly. "Don't they have love for everyone of all the races in Tamriel? Or was I taught wrong?"_

_After a few minutes of silence embarrassing silence - with Eriama and I exchanging awkward looks with Ida - Alessia Ottus finally closed her mouth with a scowl._

_"Come along, Ida, darling," she said to her daughter, "I think it's time we took our leave."_

_At that, Alessia Ottus held on tighter to her daughter's hand and stormed off in the direction of her house on the other side of the district. Serethi turned in the other direction, taking both me and Eriama back to the Market District._

_I never fully understood the implications of this encounter until years later._

It wasn't hard to find the Captain's office. He sat at his desk, scribbling notes onto an old piece of parchment with a quill, until he looked up and saw me.

"Are you the captain?"

He cleared his throat.

"Yes, I am Captain Falx Carius, commander of Fort Frostmoth," he began. He spoke in a smooth, civil manner. "What can I do for you?"

"I was told to give you this," I said, and handed him the piece of paper I was given earlier. Carius read it, before looking towards me.

"Stowaway, are you?" He inquired. He sounded slightly amused as he said those words as well.

"Stowaway?" I suddenly snarled. "Sir, I  _paid_ my way here!"

"And for what purpose?"

There was a pause as the Captain and I exchanged looks. He looked intrigued.

"Because I no longer have a purpose, sir," I finally explained.

He studied me for a moment, looking me up and down with interest as I continued.

"I had to come here, sir. It's in the middle of nowhere. No one will find me here."

He looked at me.

"What is your name?"

"Ulina," I replied. "Ulina Therayn."

He looked taken aback by this.

"From the Morrowind province?" He paused. Now I was the one taken aback. "Unlike most of the Imperial guard stationed here, I  _do_ pay attention as to what goes on. Especially in the nearby provinces. What makes you want to escape Morrowind?"

There were many reasons, ranging from my own guilty conscience to the Temple looking for any excuse to murder me. I had no idea what to answer with now.

"Let's just say that my reasons are my own, Captain," was what I eventually said.

He nodded.

"I understand," he said. "And I suppose I should be letting you pass through. Apart from plans for a colony, there isn't much on this island worth seeing, I'm afraid, but I suppose that's what you were aiming for. Absolutely no one would come here willingly."

"There's this place, though...isn't there?"

At this, Carius rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I suppose there is Fort Frostmoth. We are an Imperial fort...obviously. My soldiers have the ability to be among the best in all the Empire. This island of Solstheim is not the easiest assignment, though, and sometimes it makes the men edgy."

I wasn't at all surprised by this, but something about Carius's wording couldn't help but make me wonder.

"Edgy only  _sometimes_ , sir?"

He raised an eyebrow at this.  
"As I said, this is a difficult post. These soldiers are separated from their families and forced to live in harsh conditions."

I was going to go on to say that conditions like that would make me anxious more than just "sometimes," but the Captain continued before I could open my mouth.

"To be fair, most of these men were sent to this island as punishment for a past offense," he said.

Oh, great. So that meant the soldiers were hardly better than any of the prisoners here themselves. But because they were part of the Imperial Army, they got off without an actual prison sentence.

Great. Absolutely  _fantastic._ I was surrounded by Imperial soldiers whom hated my guts because I was Dunmer. I mean, it was unlikely they would try to kill me, but even if they did, they would not be able to. Not unless I let them.

And if what my stepmother once said was true, I was surrounded by some of the worst racists to exist. Imperial soldiers with superiority complexes.

"They are not the best of soldiers," Carius went on to say.  _"Yet._  Still, until recently, they had performed their duties adequately. Lately, I have noticed some... _disturbing_  trends."

"Disturbing, sir?"

"To be sure. The men have been restless, complaining more than usual...and trust me when I say there is generally a lot of complaining here."

Oh, I trusted him alright.

"They have been lackadaisical in the performance of their duties. I sense a great unease among them, and morale has been low."

"Just how low?"  
"Very low," was all he said. "This is not normal. My instinct tells me that there is one among my troops who is fanning the fires of this discontent, and I wish to know who it is. They will never let me know who the culprit is...as their commanding officer, I must regretfully keep some distance between these fine soldiers and myself."

"So how do you plan to fix this problem?"

Carius shrugged, before I saw his eyes brighten.

Oh, boy. I had been adventuring long enough to know that look when I saw it. I shouldn't have asked.

"Tell you what, if you try and look into the source of the soldier's low morale, I will let you stay at the fort. It would be better than you sleeping out in the cold."

I wasn't afraid of the cold, but the offer was tempting. Even if I didn't have a proper bed, I would at least be warm.

But there was one problem.

"With all due respect, what makes you think the soldiers would even be willing to speak to me to begin with?" I demanded. "When I first got here, all I got from your soldiers was racist, disrespectful comments."

Carius sighed.

"You will have to earn their trust, and then perhaps, you will earn their respect," was all he said to me. "And I'm sure it won't take long for it to happen. You must be quite resourceful, if what I've heard is true. If you learn anything, report to me."

I left Carius's office with a sour feeling in my stomach.

The task he had given me seemed futile. How in the world was I supposed to find out why all the soldiers were discontent if none of them would even talk to me? It just went to show just how naive the Captain really was. Just how oblivious he was to the cruelty and nastiness of his own men...

As I passed through the courtyard, I saw two Imperial soldiers look in my direction. Both of them were leering at me.  _Ugh._

"Dark Elf trash," I heard one of them sneer. His companion cackled slightly and turned to him with a nasty smile.

I rolled my eyes, fully intending to continue on my way but they both – foolishly – decided to try and follow me, with one of them blocking my way.

"At least she's a woman, right, Esdon?" One of them asked, his nasty grin growing wider. I scowled at this, all anger I felt very quickly rising to the surface.

"Yeah," the other one – Esdon – chortled. "I bet she'd still be a lot of fun – more than we've had in ages. If we can't have drink, we could at least have her."

Can't have drink? And if they were really stupid enough to try such a thing, then they  _would_  regret it. I usually didn't like to brag, but I knew I was stronger than  _both_  of these idiots. Luckily for all three of us, nothing happened because of the angry cries of yet  _another_  soldier behind us. He wasn't wearing a helmet, so I could see his dark brown hair from all the way from where I was standing. The two soldiers turned around and rolled their eyes.

"Saenus," I heard the one named Esdon snarl under his breath. Saenus kept on striding towards us (or, maybe not  _us,_ as I wasn't exactly included in that equation, but oh well), until before I knew it, he was also standing near us, narrowing his eyes in the directions of the soldiers.

"Esdon, Virato," he let out as a way of a cold beginning, "I thought you were supposed to be busy keeping watch."

Saenus's eyes drifted towards the prison baracks, before coming back to Esdon and Virato, whose faces were now twisting up in anger.

"Fuck off, Lusius, ya goody-goody bastard," Virato snarled. "No one cares what ya have to say."

Saenus merely gave them a smug shrug in response

"Now come on, Virato, that's no way to talk to someone that's practically a superior," Saenus replied cheekily. " _You_ fuck off back to your duties and leave this poor woman alone, before I talk to the captain about how you almost let the prisoners go free."

Ah. Blackmail. I suppose I shouldn't really be bothered by it now. It's not like I was entirely innocent when it came to such a tactic – I had to blackmail Orvas Dren when getting the votes for becoming Hlaalu Hortator, years ago. But somehow, I felt even more uneasy about this, despite the fact that Saenus might very well be saving me my life (not to mention my dignity) in the process of doing so.

"Sour bastard," I heard Esdon mutter angrily under his breath before he and Virato strode away. Saenus then turned to me.

"I'm Saenus Lusius," he began. He eyed my flask, which was strapped to my side. "And I must ask you, how did you manage to get alcohol in here, when the Captain has banned it?"

I was surprised to hear this, but that did explain that odd comment I heard earlier about there not being any drink from Esdon and Virato.

Ah, so  _that_ was why all the soldiers were on edge. Because they had no alcohol! And being stuck in this wretched place, I didn't really blame them, either.

But for some reason, I didn't really see Carius banning alcohol, only to be confused by the edginess of the soldiers. If that was the actual case, I don't think he'd actually be surprised by anything.

"He banned it, did he?"

"You sound like you want to know more," Saenus replied. "Tell you what, if you pour me a glass of whatever you have, I'll talk. I'm absolutely parched."

I nodded.

"Don't tell anyone else though," I warned. "I barely have enough for myself."

He agreed, so we went onto one of the balconies on one of the tall towers, where we both sat on the edge of the wall. I poured Saenus the Mazte and energy potion mix I made earlier, and when he took a sip, he looked absolutely shocked.

"This really has a punch," I heard him say.

"It's Mazte from Morrowind and I had energy potion in it," I told him. "I was drinking it to keep me awake."

Saenus chuckled slightly.

"Mazte? I heard that's some good stuff. Thanks, er..."

"Ulina," I said helpfully.

"Ulina...thanks. I really needed that," he took a deep breath, before turning to me and speaking again. "It's been really ridiculous since this became a dry fort, let me tell you."

"Yeah, about that..."

At this, Saenus sighed.

"Look, I'm not entirely sure  _what_  caused all this," he began. "I just know that I heard from Antonius Nuncius that the Captain had placed a ban on all alcohol at the fort. And, sure enough, there was none to be found."

"Did you ask the Captain about it?"

"Oh, I wouldn't dare," Saenus replied darkly. "The Captain's usually a pretty fair and understanding guy, but even then, he's  _still_  the Captain. Questioning his orders is...how do I put this...out of the question?"

Oh, yeah. Formalities and other stuff like that that I didn't completely understand.

"But you didn't hear this from the Captain at all, just the priest?"

Saenus paused.

"Come to think of it, yeah."

"Are you sure  _he's_ not the one behind all of this?"

Upon hearing this, Saenus just laughed.

"The priest? Stopping our liquor?"

When he stopped laughing, he spoke again.

"I find  _that_  hard to believe. He actually seems to understand us soldiers pretty well. He was telling me just the other day how it seemed unfair that the Captain had cut us off from the drink. I guess he figures that's one of our few pleasures on this shithole of an island."

I, however, was not as convinced as Saenus was. After saying goodbye to him, I went back to the Captain's office to tell him what I found out. He was a bit surprised to hear what I had to say.

"Hmmm...I imagined that the lack of alcohol might have  _some_  effects on the morale, but I didn't ever actually  _ban_  it."

"You didn't?"

"Absolutely not," Carius said, whilst scowling. "Personally, I didn't even care about the alcohol...it seems quite a trivial thing to care about, given the situation we're in here. It was the priest, Antonius Nuncius, who was worried about the effect it was having on the men. I disagreed, but the question became moot; our shipments stopped coming in months ago."

Well, that just about settled things then. I marched off in the direction of the Imperial Cult offices to find Antonius Nuncius, a young, mousy looking priest. He wasn't that hard to find, and as soon as he saw me, I thought I saw his expression tighten up into fear.

Obviously, he had heard from  _someone_ that I was investigating.

"Antonius Nuncius?"

"Yes," he began cautiously. "What can I do for you?"

"Hello there, my name is Ulina," I said.

"Oh, yes...I have heard a bit about you," Nuncius cleared his throat. "You're that Dark Elf that was rumored to be passing through..."

I felt myself wince at the tone of his voice. He obviously wasn't happy about my presence. And as to why  _everyone_ hated the fact that I was a Dunmer I failed to understand.

"What can you tell me about this being a dry fort?"

Nuncius's expression went blank.

"Yes...odd that the Captain would ban liquor for his troops. There's no understanding some people -"

"He said he never banned alcohol."

Nuncius raised an eyebrow.

"Did he now?"

"I spoke with him myself," I continued, my tone slightly icy.

Nuncius looked taken aback by this, and I wasn't surprised by his reaction in the slightest. He was clearly behind  _something_ but until I found some proof of this, all I could do was question him. In the end, Nuncius gave me an almost indifferent shrug.

"I guess he never  _officially_  banned the alcohol. Still, the shipments stopped arriving. What's to be done about that?"

"I don't know," I narrowed my eyes. "Do you have suggestions, perhaps?"

"Well, I have no idea why. I am but a simple priest, forced to serve these pathetic soldiers on this terrible frozen excuse for an island. It's not my concern why the alcohol hasn't arrived."

"Are you  _sure_  it's not your concern?" I demanded, quietly but coldly. He narrowed his eyes in my direction. After a few moments of silence, he spoke again, obviously agitated.

"What  _are_  you implying?"

Nuncius sounded slightly anxious at the question.

"You have  _no_  proof that I've done anything wrong," he snapped. "Absolutely  _none._  Stop asking me these questions!"

If everything I had about this wasn't proof enough, then this just convinced me even more that Nuncius was, in fact, behind everything regarding the dry fort. I heard an offhand comment from one of the soldiers that Nuncius had an office in the armory, so I headed there, some part of me knowing he was likely hiding the alcohol there.

Nuncius's office door was locked. I couldn't pick it, and part of me wished Shani was there with me to help unlock the door. But even if I couldn't pick it, I did have a way.

For the first time in months, I unsheathed Trueflame, and the heat from the blade melted the cheaply made lock on the door. The door cracked open in a matter of moments.

Nuncius's office was quite messy for someone who was a priest. My impression of priests was that they were neat and orderly, but I guess now it was merely a stereotype. There were papers strewn across his desk and the floor, and cobwebs all over the walls. I caught a scent of something...something familiar and deeply unpleasant. I turned towards the desk and saw that Nuncius had clumsily tried to lock it. I say "clumsily" because it was left slightly open and the lock had been damaged overtime.

Even though I could practically smell the alcohol before I opened the drawer, I wasn't prepared for just how much I saw in the drawer. There was tons of bottles of ale, beer, wine, mead and others I didn't recognize buried away in the drawer. In between the bottles, I noticed a small pouch that smelt very strongly of moon sugar.

Something told me that Nuncius was stealing the alcohol for his own personal pleasures, and the fact that he was regularly consuming moon sugar told me everything I needed to know. So, at that, I gathered all the alcohol into a large, cotton sack and cast a feather spell, before storming off back to the Imperial Cult building where I knew Nuncius would be.

As I expected, he wasn't happy to see me at all. I could see the shock on his face as I stormed towards him with the giant sack of alcohol.

"Care to explain this?" I demanded, before opening the sack and pointedly nodding towards the liquor. Nuncius's expression went blank.

"Well, I have no idea..."

"Guarshit," I snarled at him. Nuncius stared at me. "Don't lie to me. I  _saw_ the alcohol in your desk -"

"You've been in my desk?" Nuncius's blank expression quickly disappeared, and was replaced with outrage.  _"My_  desk?  _You've_  been in there? Why...that's an outrage!"

"I didn't go in there,  _you_ left your drawer wide open for all the world to see, you fool," I snapped at him. "Besides, you have no right to take the moral high ground with me considering that you apparently  _stole_  all the liquor."

"Stolen liquor? I have no idea..."

Turns out I didn't have to say anything more to Nuncius before he got fed up with me.

"All right. Perhaps I  _have_  been hiding the alcohol."

I snorted.

"Yeah, alright.  _Perhaps."_

"It was for their own good!" He insisted. I almost scoffed. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised, given the fact that Nuncius was a priest, but where did he get off on saying what was for who's own good?

"And...I had hoped that if the soldiers got fed up and revolted, I'd be able to justify going home to my superiors."

Well, having the assignment that he did, I wasn't surprised Nuncius was trying to leave. That still didn't excuse him trying to drag everyone else into misery with him, though.

"Are you sure it's not because you're secretly a drunk?" I bit out, my voice incredibly deadpan. "Because, given the amount of alcohol you've been hoarding, it sort of makes one wonder...don't you think?"

Nuncius looked momentarily taken aback by these words, and it was hard to try and keep a straight face at that. Maybe he secretly had alcohol issues and that was part of what caused his assignment to this island anyway. I wouldn't be surprised.

"Don't think I haven't noticed the moon sugar, either. That's going to get you in a  _lot_ more trouble than the alcohol did."

"Look, I don't want any trouble from you," Nuncius said.

I rolled my eyes.

"I'll hand over the alcohol," he continued, "just don't say anything to the Captain. Please. I am begging you."

I narrowed my eyes.

"You have  _got_ to be kidding me," was all I managed to say at first. When I spoke again, I continued, my tone filled with disdain. "You want me to cover for you so you can what? Do this again in a month?"

Nuncius almost recoiled in what was seemingly fear.

"Forget it," was all I said, before casting a feather spell, snatching up the sack of alcohol, and then trudging back to Carius's office.

Carius didn't seem at all surprised to hear the news.

"It was Antonius?"

"He was trying to get reassigned, sir," I informed him. Well, that and drinking all the alcohol himself, but I didn't need to say that.

A dark scowl etched itself onto Carius's face.

"That fucking  _twit,"_ he spat, before pounding a closed fist down onto his desk. I was momentarily taken aback by the harsh language used by a high-ranking, Imperial officer, but soon got over it. "All he had to do was  _ask_ , and he would have been reassigned as soon as possible, but  _no_. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised...people like him are prone to cowardice."

He sighed.

"I guess that's not going to happen in his future at all then now, is it?" He looked at me and then sighed. "I thank you for your help, Ulina. I imagine the men and women in our ranks will as well. Hopefully they will start showing you more respect."

Yes,  _hopefully._ I had had more than enough of the racist and xenophobic remarks from the (mostly Imperial) guards in this blasted fort to last me a lifetime, and I thought  _Vvardenfell_ was bad enough. Not to mention the rampant sexism...I suspected this was because there weren't too many women here at all, but still, that should give the guards  _more_ reason to show me respect, not less, given just how many of them were desperate for a lay, even if it  _was_  from a wretched Dark Elf woman. Not that I had any intentions of giving any soldier here such satisfaction, but it really didn't help their case.

Carius then turned his attention away from me to one of the drawers on his desk, opening it and pulling out three full potion bottles.

"These are for you. They're potions of cure disease," he added, after seeing me inspect the bottles. "There are diseases on this island we have never encountered, and the further you go the worse it gets. I would hate to see you take ill."

Although I didn't have to worry about disease, really. Not since I had contracted and had been "cured" of corprus. But I still appreciated the thought anyway. I suppose I could hardly expect Carius to know  _everything._

"You are welcome to board here at the fort for the moment, so long as you are willing to continue helping us," Carius said. "Although I have the feeling this is only going to be the tip of the iceberg for you here."

"You're probably right," I replied.

It was  _always_ the tip of the iceberg for me. I would have been stupid to expect any less.

I got up, and then made way to leave the room, trudging back downstairs with the sack of alcohol in hand. As soon as I reached the courtyard, I emptied the sack onto the grassy floor, with the soldiers watching me in momentary disbelief.

And then, as Carius had predicted, with a certain sense of newfound respect.

"Is that...booze?" I heard someone ask.

"It is!" I heard a familiar voice pipe up.

_Saenus._

He rushed forwards towards me and the slapped one of his large hands onto my shoulder. "This woman here is Ulina, everyone! She found our alcohol!"

"Maybe we should get her a gift," I heard someone else interject. I turned around to see that that voice belonged to an Imperial woman with bright, red hair. She wasn't terribly old, but she wasn't quite that young, either. I couldn't help but notice the pipe in her hand, exposing everyone around her to the strong aroma of skooma smoke, instantly reminding me of Caius Cosades. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought I was back in Balmora in that cramped apartment he used to live in.

But I wasn't. I was in Solstheim, on the tip of a very miserable island, surrounded by Imperial soldiers.

"That's a great idea, Gaea," I suddenly heard Saenus say. He flashed her a smile. "Any suggestions?"

"Yeah," at that, she attempted to hand me the pipe she held in her hand, but I held out a hand.

"Oh no, I'm good," I said, but my voice was weak. This gave Gaea the indication that I was saying so reluctantly, no doubt, because she soon forcefully shoved the pipe into my hands.

"Take it anyway," she said, "you look like you could use a bit of help. It'll cheer you up."

I saw no point in arguing any further, and just took the pipe anyway. It wasn't like I was intending to use it. Then, I headed off to bed.

I had had enough of this wretched island already, I had only been here a day. It was time to see if I could finally get some sleep.

* * *

_The sword shattered, and Hopesfire pierced through the glass cuirass, and through his back, before his body limply fell to the floor -_

I sat up, resisting the urge to scream. Sweat dripped down my forehead, practically soaking my hair and face. I felt as if my heart was about to jump out of my chest.

I was so tired of this. I was tired of my own painful, pathetic existence, and wishing more than anything I was dead. It had been months now, and it felt as if that was the only way  _this_  was ever going to end. Ever since the events in the Clockwork City, I felt as if my mind was in a constant state of switching between screaming and numbness. There was either one or the other, and that was it. I felt nothing else.

I sighed, and then looked at my pile of possessions, including the skooma pipe that Gaea had given me. Long ago, this was something I had promised Dranen and Serethi I would never touch or even consider. More importantly, it was something I had promised myself.

Now, I was beyond caring, trying to assure myself that it was a low dose of the drug, and then cast a spell to light it. The first puff burned my throat, causing me to cough heavily, but I persisted. Maybe if I consumed enough of this stuff, I would finally die.

Was that the thought going through Caius Cosades' head when he first consumed sugar? Was it my father's when he lit his first tobacco pipe? Was it Julan's the first time he started drinking himself into a stupor?

I would never know the answer to any of these questions; the people who could answer those were either dead, gone or both.

Soon enough, I felt myself I found something I had not had since I left Mournhold.

A peaceful, dreamless sleep.


	3. Wolves Like Men

**Chapter Two: Wolves Like Men**

_8th of Rain's Hand, 3E 429_

_It was during the beginning of the autumn season, and at the time I was just in the beginning of my teenage years. Thirteen was a horrible age to be, with all the new workload at school and the new expectations placed on me by my father, stepmother and Cyrodiilic society as a whole._

_After a stressful Fredas, both me and my sister went and sat at the dining room table, doing some of the homework we had been assigned by Ingrid. All while Serethi stood at a pot by the fire, cooking with a variety of ingredients I had never seen before in my life. But the smell coming from the pot was enough to make my mouth water._

_"What are you making, Serethi?" Eriama asked her, eyeing the pot with interest._

_"Guar meat stew," Serethi replied, as she continued stirring the pot. My mouth gaped open in surprise. Guar were from Morrowind. How in the Nine Serethi had managed to get_ _ahold_ _of some was beyond me. She turned to me._

_"Ulina, come over here and stir it for me while I chop the ash yams," she told me. I got up from my chair and went over to the fire where the stew was cooking. The seasonings that Serethi had used on the meat must really be working if it could smell as good as it did. I turned to Serethi, and saw that she began chopping some of the vegetables on a very large, silver plate. There were some weird looking vegetables that looked a bit like potatoes. But they were grey. I figured those must be the ash yams. There was also a whole host of vegetables I was familiar with seeing anyway. Potatoes, carrots, corn..._

_"Where'd you learn to cook, Serethi?" I asked her. Serethi looked at me and paused for a moment, before speaking._

_"My mother taught me as I was growing up, before she passed," Serethi explained. "She was a fantastic cook. But she knew better than me...if she was alive to see me butchering one of her best recipes, she would never let it go."_

_I raised an eyebrow._

_"Butchering? But how?"_

_Serethi snorted._

_"If we still lived in Morrowind, you would_ never  _see me using things like carrots or corn in the stew," she explained, seemingly irritated by that fact. "But I couldn't get a hold of_ all _the ingredients in the market, so substitutes will have to do."_

_Serethi smiled slightly._

_"It used to be my sister's favorite, and she was never a picky eater, so I'm sure she would still love this."_

_As she finished chopping the vegetables, Serethi scraped it all off the silver plate and into the steaming pot of stew, and then took over the stirring duties, thickening up the stew as necessary, before serving it into four large, steaming bowls and putting them all at their respective places at the table._

_Just as Eriama and I were about to start eating, our father came home. He entered our small dining area and took in the smell of the excellent stew._

_"Guar meat stew?" He asked, seemingly surprised at the revelation._

_Serethi nodded curtly._

_"I thought it would be nice to share some of my culture at the dinner table once I had the opportunity."_

_"Guar meet stew is from Vvardenfell," my father reminded her, softly yet firmly. Serethi merely rolled her eyes._

_"Shut up, Dranen," she snapped. "How am I supposed to know and remember where every single recipe my mother cooked came from? It was a staple growing up my family, therefore it's still part of my culture no matter what. Sit down and eat your damned food."_

_I almost expected my father to argue, but he seemed more worn out than usual today, so he just did as Serethi instructed. Eriama and I exchanged looks. The entire thing just seemed awkward. Serethi very quickly sat down after buttering us all one slice of bread, and we all began to eat._

_The stew was delicious. It was the perfect mixture of meats, vegetables and spices. I occasionally took breaks to dip my piece of bread into the bowl._

_"How was your day, Papa?" Eriama asked our father. He turned to her and smiled slightly._

_"It was alright," he stated. "Apart from almost getting robbed in the Waterfront during my working hours. It was a good thing that the Imperial Guards were there when they were."_

_He shuddered._

_Serethi grit her teeth._

_"It's a good thing they decided that it wasn't actually_ you  _doing the robbing, Dranen," she let out in exasperation. "You_ know _who we are. You_ know  _what they actually think of us."_

_"Don't start, Serethi," my father said to her, wearily. "We don't need to be teaching the girls to fear the Imperial Guard -"_

_Serethi let out a loud, humorless laugh._

_"That's_ exactly _what we need to do," she retorted. She then turned to me and Eriama. "Unlike what your father seems to believe – which seems to be the fairytales in his own head – all Imperials hate us. Especially the Imperials in Cyrodiil. Hypocritical it may seem, they hate anyone who could be considered foreigners in their own land...and that includes us Dunmer."_

_"We live in one of the largest and most multi-cultural cities in Tamriel, Serethi," my father responded, albeit weakly. "I'm sure the Imperial Guards are used to seeing Dunmer here. Every day of the week."_

_"That changes little," was Serethi's icy reply, not looking away from us. "That doesn't change Eras of unconscious bias all Imperials have towards every other race – especially Elves and Beasts. If there was a situation in which a guard had to choose between another Imperial or one of us, he would choose his own...Every time, no matter whom was actually innocent or guilty."_

_She turned to our father with an icy stare, before turning back to us._

_"And apparently treating us as savages in their own home isn't enough...they've invaded every part of Tamriel and forced them into being_ _apart_ _of their Empire, while secretly calling us all savages in our own lands...trying to quash out our own religions and traditions. It's disgusting that they were able to get away with it."_

_Our father turned to us, his voice soft._

_"My girls, don't take everything Serethi says to heart," he spoke. "It's true the Empire has done devastating things over many centuries, but that doesn't mean all Imperials are evil monsters that hate us all."_

_"I never said they were evil monsters, Dranen," Serethi snapped. "That's a gross oversimplification of history. I said they all have unconscious biases. Don't put words in my mouth, you absolute fucking_ s'wit -"

_"Language, Serethi," my father said, but Serethi merely continued, not seeming affected by anything he said to her._

_" - But what would_ you _know about it anyway, Dranen?" She snapped. "You were practically_ one  _of them, with that cosy life you led. I would have thought that during the past decade or so, you would have learned by now. But seems you haven't. You still live in a fairytale world, where everyone in Cyrodiil lives in perfect harmony after colonization. I really hate to break it to you, but that is not the reality."_

_She turned to us._

_"Just remember, girls," she continued. "No matter what you hear elsewhere, the Empire is not your friend. Not truly. There are advantages to living here – but never forget who you are...never forget_ what _you are. In the eyes of all upper-class Imperials, we are foreigners to them. And they would dispose of us all without a second thought if they had to. Always be cautious in your interactions with the Imperial Guard."_

_Eriama and I exchanged looks, before continuing to eat our stew. No one said another word, leaving us to eat in silence._

It had been a few days since I had dealt with Nuncius and his alcohol smuggling habits, and for most of that time I just stayed in bed, trying to ignore the world.

I still had nightmares. Every single night I had nightmares, leaving me to wake up shaking, with sweat pouring down my forehead. I did all I could to push images of Julan's broken, mangled body out of my head but nothing seemed to work. I was reluctant to try the skooma pipe Gaea gave to me again, because even though it would temporarily help I knew it would cause a physical addiction. That wouldn't help matters much.

I was almost relieved when Carius summoned me back to his office and gave me something to do. Because even if I was doing what was essentially his dirty work, it  _did_ give me something to do; having nothing to do was almost unbearable at this point, because all it did was cause my mind to drift back to unwanted thoughts and memories.

So I headed to his office, where I sat at his desk in front of him. To my great surprise, Carius even made me a cup of tea.

"Welcome, Ulina," he began. "Please sit. Have a warm drink and relax, as I think this conversation will take awhile."

I did, while he got to the point. I took several sips of my tea in the meantime.

"As I've told you before, not all of my soldiers here are trustworthy," Carius said.

Given the nature of some of the guards I had met here, I wasn't entirely surprised. It was just the first time I had actually heard Carius acknowledge it himself.

"Most of them aren't trustworthy, as a matter of fact. Many were sent to this Fort in lieu of the Imperial City's dungeons. Now, I fear that a more criminal element has shown itself at Fort Frostmoth."

"Are you  _blind?"_ I suddenly snapped. "There's been criminal elements going on under your nose for months!"

"If you are referring to the Skooma, I could give less of a damn about that," Carius replied. "Even though I am ashamed to say it, I have much better things to be worrying about than whether or not a few soldiers want to forget their pain and suffering on this island with a little illicit fun."

Oh, wow. Okay. I wasn't not expecting  _that_ response.

"But this time, it's a bit more serious," Carius continued. "I believe that there are weapons being smuggled out of here and sold on Vvardenfell."

_What?_

"Seriously?"

"That's the only logical explanation I can come up with for the store of weapons in the armory decreasing, and I know there is no  _official_  reason for it. My only guess is that someone is smuggling them off Solstheim to be sold on Vvardenfell. I want you to uncover this smuggling ring, and I will provide you with a bit of help."

"Help?"  
"I would like you to work with two of my soldiers on this case, and they are two of the best here at Fort Frostmoth: Saenus Lusius and Gaea Artoria."

Oh, I already knew who they were. This should be interesting.

"Saenus knows more about the daily routine at this fort than any of my men, and despite how it may seem, Gaea is a fantastic warrior who will defend you both to the death," Carius explained. "I will send word for the two of them to meet you in the courtyard this evening. When you have unearthed the smuggling ring, report to me. I leave how you deal with the smugglers to your discretion."

And so that was it then.

I made my way to the courtyard that evening, around the time I expected both Saenus and Gaea to be by that point. They were both waiting and had both armored up. Gaea seemed to be carrying around more than enough weapons for at least four people. As soon as they saw me, they both greeted me. Gaea's grin was so big it gave me the impression she was particularly eager about the task ahead.

"Cap'n said something about smugglers," she said, before her hand went to the axe on her back. "Wanna go crack some skulls?"

I resisted the urge to chuckle at this. Saenus looked towards Gaea and shook his head, but judging from the look on his face he was slightly amused as well.

"Not so fast," he warned her, before turning to me. "I suggest we speak with some of the soldiers here at the fort."

I raised my eyebrows at this. Just because I had won  _some_ of the soldiers' respect didn't mean I had won it from all of them. I think on some level Saenus could sense my hesitation, because he continued.

"A motley bunch, to be sure, but some of them are fair soldiers, believe me when I say that, Ulina," Saenus continued. Gaea nodded along in agreement. "I've developed quite a rapport with a few, in fact. Maybe someone will know what's going on."

"Thinking of anyone in particular?" I asked Saenus. This caused him to grin slightly.

"Why don't we begin by speaking with Zeno Faustus? He's an... interesting character. We'll find him in the Armory."

So, the three of us went off to the armory, where Faustus was banging away with a hammer, trying to make a new sword. His blacksmithing skills were obviously at a level of that of a beginner, but I said nothing.

"Hi, Faustus," Saenus greeted. Faustus looked up at us, and gave Saenus a mild grin.

"What do you need? I'm busy, Lusius, and you know as well as I do that terrible shit is happening here," was Faustus's aggravated reply.

"To ask about weapons that may have been smuggled out of here," I said, pointedly.

Faustus looked towards me and raised his eyebrows, before turning back to Saenus.

"She with you, Lusius?" he asked.

"Yes," Saenus replied. "The Captain sent us on this task."

Faustus frowned slightly.  
"Then I guess I can tell you what I've heard. Check out the Gandrung Caverns, a bit northeast of the fort. I've heard a couple of the soldiers talk about the place. They mentioned weapons that were stashed there."

"That's the ticket," Saenus said.

Faustus then quickly held up a hand.

"Look, you didn't hear it from me, though. I'll deny it," he insisted, before turning his attention back to the forge. At that, we headed in the direction of Gandrung Caverns, which Saenus had marked on his map. I didn't have a map of Solstheim, and at some point, I'd have to make sure I got one as well.

It didn't take us that long to get there, or to encounter the many, many smugglers that were in the cave. They were more of them, but we had more sense, and Gaea's combat abilities should never be underestimated.

I had never felt more powerful than I had in my entire life, which was weird, considering I had taken out literal gods. But I decided to brush it off. The feeling wasn't entirely a bad thing.

Eventually, we made it through and found the culprit. He held out a very large, formidable looking claymore.

"Spurius," I heard Saenus say. He sounded not entirely surprised by this. "You've been desperate for months to get off this island. I should have known it was you."

Spurius narrowed his eyes.

"I should have known you'd have brought company, Lusius," he spat. "And the skooma-fiend as well as Carius's Dark Elf whore."

Ah, yes. Yet  _more_ racism and sexism. Just lovely! But not entirely surprising, either.

"What's the matter, Lusius?" Spurius taunted. "Could you find  _no one_  better to bring along?"

I finally unsheathed Trueflame, much to the surprise of  _everyone_. I wasn't surprised; you don't generally see weapons like that one just lying around.

"You might want to listen to what we have to say," I snarled. "We've had to kill everyone in here to get to you and  _you_  are outnumbered."

"Three to one," Gaea interjected angrily.

"Also? I'm no one's bloody whore," I added, for good measure.

Spurius raised his eyebrows.

"Really? Everyone knows how much the Captain favors you, giving you tasks he doesn't even give to his own soldiers. What are you, if not his whore?"

I thought I heard Gaea growl at this.

"Put the sword down, Spurius," Saenus ordered. "Or you'll regret it."

Spurius hesitated for a moment, before dropping the claymore.

"I hardly want to take any risks, now, do I?" He sneered. "Everyone at the fort knows that Lusius is a reasonable man -"

"So was ya papa," I heard Gaea retort. Saenus didn't even bother to argue with her.

"- so maybe we can make a deal."

I could only imagine what sort of deal the likes of him could bother thinking of.

"Start talking," Saenus snapped.  
"I'll get off the island and leave the weapons behind," Spurius began, "you all just let me go peacefully and don't cause any trouble with Carius, and I'm gone."

"You expect us to just let you go?" I demanded. "Scot free?"

Oh, the  _nerve._ The bloody  _nerve_  of this coward.

"Nah, not scot free," Spurius insisted. "I haven't gotten this far without knowing that there's always a catch for everything. I'll give you this nice axe as a little bonus for keeping this quiet."

He gestured towards a silver axe that was nearby. It looked like it was enchanted as well.

It's just a shame that I was never an axe girl.

"Carius will never miss me, and I'll just...disappear," Spurius continued, the sneer in his voice becoming more and more pronounced. "Just ask Lusius about it, Dark Elf. He'll give you good advice."

Why he was leaving that decision up to me, I cannot fathom. Or maybe I could, because I wasn't actually a member of the Legion, meaning my decisions wouldn't have the same bearing as either Saenus's or Gaea's. But Saenus noticed Spurius's cowardice instantly.

"What good advice?" Saenus looked genuinely outraged now. "You  _stole_ from the Legion, Spurius. You  _know_ that your crimes are punishable by death. We can't just let you go!"

There was a sudden loud, piercing howl from outside the caverns. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. A pause instantly fell in the room, and that just indicated to me that I wasn't the only one who heard the sound.

"What in bleedin' Oblivion was that?" Gaea demanded.

"Probably just a wolf," Saenus replied, before turning back to Spurius, who gave us all another nasty smile.

"As I said," Spurius began to repeat, "you let me walk, and no one ever sees me again -"

We all stopped and fell silent at the same loud, piercing sound of a howl in the distance. Saenus, Gaea and I exchanged looks.

"Are ya sure that's a wolf?" Gaea asked.

Saenus looked deep in thought, then shook his head.

I wanted to say that it was just a wolf. I really, really did. But instinctively I knew that it was not, given how loud it was. I knew that something much more sinister was going on not too far away. I couldn't just

"We need to leave," I said firmly.

Both Saenus and Gaea raised their eyebrows, and then Gaea's gaze drifted back towards Spurius.

"What about him?" She demanded, her hand drifting towards the axe on her back.

"Does it  _really_  matter, Gaea?" Saenus snapped. "We  _all_  heard that noise outside, we need to get out of here and find out what the fuck is going on."

"I'll be taking my leave, then," Spurius interjected, nastily.

In the end, Spurius's little smuggling operation never really mattered. Not in the grand scheme of things. So it never really bothered me when he ran off in the opposite direction out of the cave, leaving the three of us to exchange confused looks.

"So, what do we do now?" Gaea asked.

"We go," was my immediate response.

We left Gandrung Caverns, only to find out the sound of the wolves was a lot more horrifying than any of us could have even imagined. It wasn't a pack of wolves, as any reasonable person would have thought.

It was three large and horrifying creatures. They looked slightly like wolves, but they were all walking on two legs. I heard one of them howl loudly.

It wasn't like a normal howl. It was a blood-curling sound that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"Oh shit," Gaea whispered.

"Hide," I heard Saenus hiss at us. To be honest, I was about to say the same thing. Absolutely no  _sane_ person would want to be within the sight of these monsters. We hid within the entrance of the cave, not daring to move a muscle.

After the first one howled, three more of them appeared. And then they all howled together. The sound was enough to make one deaf.

Then, they started running.

"They're heading in the direction of the fort," I said, suddenly realizing. I noticed Saenus blanch, and Gaea's face turning pure white.

"We need to go back," Saenus stated, his voice noticeable hoarse as he said those words. As soon as we were sure the wolves (or...whatever they were. For now, I'll just call them wolves) were out of sight, we rushed off towards the direction of Fort Frostmoth.

But by the time we got there, it was already too late.

* * *

Gaea let out a loud gasp.

The scene of the fort was in absolute ruins. It looked like someone had taken a very large sledgehammer and made a very crude attempt to knock it down. The arch-way of the entrance had been completely destroyed.

If that wasn't enough, I could smell the very strong smell of smoke. Someone had obviously made an attempt to cast a fire-spell, but it didn't work out very well.

"Who knew wolves could cause so much damage?" Saenus wondered aloud.

Who knew? Not me, that's for damn sure.

As we entered the fort, we noticed many, many soldiers were injured. I knew that Fort Frostmoth didn't have that many healers, given that Fort Frostmoth wasn't exactly equipped for a real combat situation. As we passed through, we were stopped by Zeno Faustus, who rushed up towards us, his expression terror-struck.

"The fort..." he began, speaking in between pants, "the creatures...It's horrible."

"Where's the Cap'n?" Gaea demanded.

"I haven't seen him," Faustus admitted. "He was out here battling but he just...disappeared. Those creatures took him during the battle."

There was a moment of silence before Saenus put his hand on Faustus's shoulder, giving him a faint smile.

"Rest easy, my friend," he said, "we will get to the bottom of this, I assure you."

As Faustus went towards the direction of the barracks, so did we. Gaea turned to us and spoke.

"My guess is that those bleedin'... _savages_  from the Nord village have something to do with this," she hissed.

"Savages?" Saenus asked, the skepticism in his voice becoming very apparent. "Do you mean the Skaal? We have no proof that they would have done this."

Gaea snorted.

"Who else would it be if not them? They hate us!"

"Stop being so racist, Gaea, you're making the Legion look bad," Saenus hissed.

All I could think back to was Serethi, who often reminded us that the Imperial Legion was full of people who secretly hated all races but their own.

By now, we had made it to the main hall, with just the three of us standing and talking in the silence of the room.

"Even if it  _was_ the Skaal, Artoria, we cannot possibly prove it," Saenus pointed out. "Also, who in the world are we going to send?  _We_ certainly cannot leave this fort, not when the Captain's gone."

That was when Gaea turned towards me with a pointed look on her face. Saenus sighed heavily, and I soon followed suit.

Typical. All I wanted was to be left alone, now I was being sent on what was possibly a wild guar hunt with no chance of success. I highly doubted that a bunch of Nords in the middle of nowhere was actually responsible.

"Ulina, I really hate to ask this of you," Saenus began.

Yes, I knew where this was going. It always ended up this way.

"But you are not currently Legion, you are the only one who is not bound by obligations, we need you to do this for us," Saenus continued. "You must travel to the Nord village and see what they know about the attack and hopefully find the Captain. **"**

 _"Seriously?"_ I couldn't help but ask.

"Please," Saenus insisted. "Follow me to the Captain's office, where we can discuss this further."

So, I did, where we left Gaea behind. I began to feel tired and lethargic after all this walking, running and fighting. I felt I didn't have enough energy left for such things.

But the Captain  _had_ gone missing. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. As much as I hate to say it, it just wasn't in my nature.

Saenus shut the office door, and then went towards Carius's desk, and then took out a piece of what looked like folded up parchment. Turned out that it was actually a map of Solstheim. Saenus then came back towards my end of the desk, and then used a quill to mark a spot.

"The Skaal Village is here, on the northeastern tip of Solstheim," he explained. "These Skaal are nature-worshippers, and they seem to have a special commune with the creatures of this island. If anyone knows what attacked the fort, it will be these Nords."

"I can't get to them without using a map during the journey, though."

"Then keep the map, if that is what's required," Saenus responded. "The Captain will understand. I would like you to earn their trust and find out what you can. You may have to remain with them for many days, but as an outsider, I believe you are up to the task."

I almost snorted at this. As an  _outsider,_ wouldn't I be less up to the task? I don't know. I suppose maybe I had an advantage over an actual member of the Legion, given that the Skaal hated the Legion (if what I heard was true, anyway). It worked out in the end, but Saenus couldn't have possibly known this.

Saenus began to rummage through Carius's drawers again, and pulled out an ancient skull. It stank of dust and death.

"Here, take this," he said, handing it to me. I raised an eyebrow, which immediately followed with a sigh from Saenus.

"It was found in one of their tombs," he quickly explained. "Perhaps they will take it as a sign of good faith."

I hope for everyone's sake that the Skaal were nothing like the Dunmer when it came to burying their dead, because otherwise it was more likely to end with them taking offense to it than as a sign of "good faith."

Also, why in the world were the Legion going through burial tombs anyway? My question would never truly be answered.

"I think you should rest for a night before venturing off, Ulina," Saenus said. I didn't entirely want to. Not with the nightmares. I wanted this over as soon as possible. But I knew that Saenus was right. I knew that sleep was needed for a long journey. I could practically hear Julan's voice in my head telling me to do so as well.

And then I felt my as if my heart was about to sink in my chest.

"If I do not see you before you venture off, then I wish you much luck," Saenus finished.

Good, because as usual, I needed all the luck I could get.

* * *

I left earlier that morning, donning a set of leather armor that I had obtained from the surplus of armor in the armory, with Trueflame sheathed at my side. After grabbing all my belongings and putting on my new pair of fur-skinned boots, I set off, following the directions of the map. As I went further and further through Solstheim, I noticed that it was becoming colder and colder. I did the best I could to avoid most of the dangerous creatures that were travelling along the same path. There were many wolves, bears and some small, strange blue creatures that reminded me slightly of goblins.

There was snow after a certain point, with a dark, cloudy sky overhead. I felt myself start to grow weaker, my limbs feeling like lead attached to my body.

I highly doubted it had anything to do with the cold.

I continued regardless, even with my legs growing heavier, and my stomach beginning to ache. The ache was likely just hunger; I hadn't eaten in for a day and a half. But I wasn't going to. Physically, I may be hungry, but mentally I was not.

It began to grow darker. I saw the sun begin to set and the stars appear in the sky, all while I continued to feel worse.

"Wow, Ulina," I heard a familiar voice say as I continued to walk, "we're really going to spend time among Nords? I thought having to be around that Imperial fort was bad enough."

I turned around. It wasn't just a familiar voice, it was a familiar face as well.

_No. It couldn't be._

He was still wearing the same glass armor he used to wear before the night he died, he had the same weapons. The same hair.

The same smile.

"I have to find out what's going on, Julan," I bit out. "People almost got killed. The captain is missing. I can't just sit by and do nothing."

He smirked slightly.

"You're talking to yourself, you know," Julan told me. "You and I  _both_  know this isn't real. You and I both know you're actually hallucinating out of your mind right now."

He looked at me for a few seconds, staring in disbelief.

"Why would you ever want to touch that stuff anyway? I thought Caius's musty apartment would have at least put you off."

"You know why!" I suddenly spat in his direction. "I just wanted to stop thinking about you!"

Within the blink of an eye, Julan was gone. I felt my eyelids grow heavier, and they began to shut as soon as I saw the faint lines of a village in the distance.


	4. Skaal Village

**Chapter Three: Skaal Village**

_24th of Rain's Hand, 3E 429_

_I ran._

_I was mostly running from Ida, who was running after me, with Eriama and her new friend, Lillia, watching us in the distance. As soon as I tripped over a stick and fell over into the grass, they started giggling their heads off._

_"You're too slow, Ulina!" I heard my sister cry out._

_I pulled myself up from the ground, my dress now covered in grass and mud. No doubt Serethi would never let me hear the end of_ that.

_I felt my cheeks suddenly warm up slightly, despite the fact that it was fairly cool for a sunny day in Second Seed. Because it was such a nice day, Lillia had decided to ask Serethi if Eriama could go with her to Lake Rumare, on the outskirts of the Imperial City. Serethi had agreed, but only if I went too as well as avoiding going into the lake at all costs._

_I didn't want to go. Not really. At least, not until I saw my fellow classmate, Ida Ottus, heading in the same direction. At ten years old, we had become very good friends, and I was very fond of her._

_I just had no idea if her fondness for me extended the same way._

_"Shut up, Eri," I suddenly snapped._

_This only caused Eriama and Lillia to laugh harder._

_"You're only acting this way because your girlfriend is here," Lillia crooned. I suddenly turned around, and saw Ida avert her eyes from me for a second, before turning towards Lillia._

_"You have no idea what you are talking about," she said, although she sounded a bit flustered upon saying it. Lillia and Eriama squealed with laugher. My sister and her friend sounded like pigs. And I hated it. It grated on my ears._

_"Ulina and Ida sitting in a tree," I heard them both sing, "K -"_

_Me and Ida let out loud groans._

_"Don't even start," I warned them. Eriama responded by sticking out her tongue, and then joining Lillia in doing a funny dance. Ida and I decided to ignore them._

_Ida then turned to me with a smile._

_"Want to race again, Ulina?" She grinned. "To the bottom of the bridge and back? Whoever gets there first is a rotten cabbage."_

_I smiled at her._

_"Deal," I said. And then we started running. Try as I might, I could never really keep up with Ida. We were both about the same size when we met, but now at ten years old, Ida was ridiculously tall. Either that, or I was ridiculously short for a Dunmer girl of my age. I had no idea. I heard the footsteps of my sister and Lillia trailing along behind us._

_Halfway to the bridge, I felt myself slip again, and I was close to the edge of the water. As I tried to pull myself back up, I actually_ did  _fall into the lake._

_I felt like screaming. It was cold and wet. I felt my clothes become heavier and heavier by the minute. I could barely see due to the water having splashed into my eyes. And I couldn't swim._

_"Help! Help me!"_

_Even though I could barely see, I heard the sounds of Ida stopping and turning around._

_"Ulina! ULINA!"_

_I was terrified; I knew mudcrabs and slaughterfish made this lake their home. Goodness knew what else could be here. I barely heard Ida scream after Eriama and Lillia, ordering them to go and find help. I just felt myself sinking. Lower, and lower...until -_

I awoke, gasping for air, feeling my heart almost ready to jump out of my throat. My head was pounding.

_Good gods._

I knew that it had happened years ago, but it felt very real. Very vivid. I felt as if I was drowning.

It was truly one of the worst days of my life.

"Easy there, outsider."

I sat up and looked around, trying to figure out where the hell I was. Seemingly, it was inside a warm, log cabin. A fire was roaring nearby. I felt the blanket I had been lying underneath. It seemed as if it had been made from wolf pelts.

Standing by the fire was an elderly, Nord man wearing a full, fur outfit. He looked at me.

"You have awoken," he continued. He picked up a wooden cup, and walked towards it, handing it to me. I took it, but didn't drink it.

"Um, who are you?" I couldn't help but ask.

The old man chuckled slightly.

"I suppose you are right to ask; I am Korst Wind-Eye, the shaman of the Skaal," he replied.

As soon as he said those words, I suddenly remembered everything that had transpired within the last few hours. The attack on the fort, me walking all the way across Solstheim, in pain...

"Drink the elixir," Wind-Eye instructed. "It will help you recover your strength that you have lost."

I did just that. It had a weird – although not entirely unpleasant – milky taste to it. But as soon as I did, my headache was gone. My heart stopped pounding in my chest. Wind-Eye then took the cup, and sat down across from me on a wooden stool.

"I sense that much is troubling you, outsider," Wind-Eye began. "I thought as much when I saw you collapse just outside our village. You were suffering weakness from the evil sugar...or so it seemed. It was almost as if you were drowning."

Oh, yes. Skooma. I had hoped if I consumed it enough, I would eventually die. But it didn't seem to work.

"I have cured you of your physical addiction, outsider," Wind-Eye continued. "But only  _you_  can eliminate your own self-hatred."

"Self-hatred?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Addiction to the evil sugar is generally a sign of deep self-hatred and unresolved insecurities. Even we, the Skaal, have seen this problem amongst our own. Though not as often as with outsiders.

"That is the part that confuses me," Wind-Eye continued. "I can sense you are powerful. Quite powerful. I sense the magicka that flows through you, your immunity to disease, the fire in your soul...How could one such as you feel so broken...so devastated?"

He paused, before continuing.

"I think you would know more than I, outsider," Wind-Eye stopped, obviously waiting for me to reply. I narrowed my eyes.

"Because for months I've had to deal with guilt," I bit out. "No matter what I do or where I go, I can't escape it. Not even in my dreams. I haven't been able to find peace with myself after I let a loved one die before my eyes. I just wanted to escape."

But even  _with_ the consumption of Skooma, I saw Julan's face before me. I suppose now that these were hallucinations caused by the drug, rather than reality.

The reality was much worse. Julan was still dead. He was dead and never returning to me.

"Ah," Wind-Eye nodded, as if realizing something. "Death. Of a loved one, no less. I suppose you saw it as it happened?"

"I saw as he was brutally murdered before my very eyes," was my dark response. "By a mad, former Goddess on a damn power trip. He died to save  _me._ If it wasn't for me, he would still be  _alive."_

My throat was dry simply from saying those words.

"He saved you because he wanted to and because he cared for you, I'm sure," Wind-Eye said. "There is no need for you to feel shame or guilt over it. As for the former Goddess that murdered him...well, that's a story for another time I'm sure."

I looked away for a few seconds. I was still trying to process everything that happened within the past...I don't even know how many hours. I had passed out in front of the Skaal Village. I had no idea just how long I had been out, and I was almost afraid to ask.

But then I decided that as Wind-Eye had been kind enough to take care of me anyway, that it was ridiculous to be afraid. I had faced worse, after all.

"How long have I been out?"

"Three days," Wind-Eye told me. "I had some of our warriors carry you into my hut so I could heal you, even if our leader had his objections. Even if we are weary of outsiders, we are not cruel; the All-Maker values all life, so I saved you."

He smiled.

"However, as soon as you are able, I suggest you speak with our leader, Tharsten Heart-Fang, and assure him yourself that you are not a threat. I do not think it is in your heart and mind to cause us harm, but he does not yet feel the same."

* * *

The Great Hall, where Tharsten Heart-Fang was, was across from Wind-Eye's hut. It was a couple of hours before I found myself strong enough to walk outside to see him, but when I did, he didn't seem entirely happy with my presence.

But by now I was used to others not being entirely happy with my presence.

Tharsten Heart-Fang was young for a leader of an entire village, but his age more than likely added to his strength. There was something dark behind his eyes, but I couldn't really tell why. Maybe it was because he just didn't like me.

His expression when he saw me was one of curiosity, but also suspicion.

"I see that the outsider has awoken," he remarked. "The Skaal wish you no harm, but you will mind your manners while you are within our walls. We will make no exceptions."

He narrowed his eyes.

"What is your name, outsider?"

"Ulina. Ulina Therayn."

"I imagine you came here with some sort of purpose in mind...Ulina Therayn," he continued. "Even if you arrived here, delirious and afraid."

"I came here because I was sent from Fort Frostmoth," I quickly explained. "There was an attack by giant wolves...it devastated everything. They wanted to know if you were behind it or knew anything."

At this, Heart-Fang rolled his eyes and snorted his contempt and disbelief.  
"Those soldiers..." he let out another disdainful snort. "They cut their trees and dig their holes, and have little to show after a day's toil. They do not respect this land  _or_  its creatures, and for that, I find them offensive."

Heart-Fang paused, before continuing.

"But though I have no love for them, the Skaal would  _never_  do such a thing."

Heart-Fang's expression suddenly darkened.

"It is not our way. We prefer to let the Imperials kill themselves slowly...to die as the All-Maker wills it. As for these creatures that attacked...I know that these were not wolves of this island."

"They...the Imperials...they sent this."

I opened my rucksack and revealed the skull that Lusius had sent with me, and upon setting his eyes on it, Heart-Fang rolled his eyes.

"Stupid Imperials," he spat fiercely "They need to learn to leave things as they are."

Suddenly, I couldn't help but think of Julan whenever he complained about anyone tampering with the bones in Dunmer burial grounds. Thinking of Julan still made my heart feel heavy, and so I pushed the thought away.

"Still, it is  _good_  that you have returned this to the Skaal. Perhaps there is hope for you and your kind. You are welcome here for the moment, but there is much to atone for."

"Much to atone for? Like what?"  
"The Imperials in their fort have brought nothing but harm to these lands. They cut the trees and dig the earth while they take up residence where they are unwelcome. They are wasteful, lazy, and careless. They have no comprehension of the Oneness of this land. It is this Oneness from which the Skaal derive our strength, and the Imperials have defiled these lands."

I was guessing that whatever this Oneness was, it was deeply important.

I guessed right.  
"This is what gives the Skaal power! It is the balance of our lands, the trees and the waters, wolf and bear. The Imperials have no respect for this balance, and  _we_  pay the price. Through their carelessness, the Imperials have upset the natural order, the Oneness of the land. This is their nature. It must be balanced once again, and the All-Maker appeased."

His eyes landed on me for what felt like ages, before he spoke.

"If you wish to prove to me that you show us no harm, then I think you should be the one to make things right, Ulina. You will be the one to restore the power of the Skaal."

Oh, seriously? Really? This guy had known me all but an hour at the most. For someone who claimed to be weary of outsiders...

Oh, wait. He just wants me gone. He's just trying to get rid of me. Well, I'd show him. I'd do whatever it is that he wanted me to do and I'd show him I wasn't the weakling he thought I was. Wind-Eye recognized my strength...or at least what was left of it. But I knew Heart-Fang did not.

"Why me?"  
"It is right that you do this, as it is  _your_  people who have caused the damage."

No, it wasn't, but I couldn't be bothered to argue this fact with him. I may not actually have been with the Imperials, but I'm sure the fact that I was sent by them was enough for me to be considered one of them in Heart-Fang's eyes.

"I'm sure you are already familiar with our shaman, Korst Wind-Eye," Heart-Fang said.

How could I not be? Wind-Eye had saved my life. Not that I wanted to be saved, but there was nothing I could do about that now.

"He is the shaman in our village, and his wisdom is unparalleled. You will usually find him in hut, though he often wanders our lands on his own business. I wish for him to guide you through the cleansing; if you have any questions, Wind-Eye would be good counsel."

I went back to Wind-Eye's hut, and sat across from him as he made me another hot drink. This time it was just tea, much to my relief. I explained what Heart-Fang asked me to do (which, truthfully, still confused the hell out of me) and Wind-Eye seemed mildly surprised by this.

"Heart-Fang wishes for you to do this, does he?"

I nodded slowly, making sure Wind-Eye saw me, and then he smiled slightly.

"Then I will assist you," he promised. "There is a ritual that must be completed. On Solstheim, you will find six Standing Stones, each representing one of the six gifts of the All-Maker. At each of these Stones, a ritual must be completed. Once the Ritual of the Gifts is complete, the Oneness should be restored."

"I still don't know what this Oneness is," I couldn't help but say. And in all honesty, I had heard it being mentioned many times since arriving in this village. No one ever really explained to me what it was. It was if I was just  _expected_  to know.  
"There is a careful balance that lies in all things of this world," Wind-Eye explained. "The animals, the trees, even the rocks and the winds. It is a harmony that the Skaal draw power from, by the grace of the All-Maker, He who gave us these gifts. When this balance is upset, our power is lessened."

Oh.

That still didn't really explain much, but whatever.

"What is the Ritual of the Gifts?"  
"It would be too much for any not of the Skaal to remember," Wind-Eye replied. He then pulled something out of a pocket I hadn't really seen or noticed.

It was a map of Solstheim, with several different landmarks circled with what looked like charcoal. There was a book underneath it titled  _The Story of Aevar Stone-Singer._

"Here, take these. It will explain the rituals and guide you on your way. If you are to remain with the Skaal, you should understand our beliefs. Besides, I think it will do you some good."

Me? But  _how?_

"It may help to cleanse you mind and soul," Wind-Eye said. "It may save your heart from drowning in dispair. The All-Maker loves all His creatures after all."

I highly doubted that, but it  _would_ keep me busy. So why not?

* * *

_In a time before now, long before now, when the Skaal were new, there was peace in the Land. The sun was hot and the crops grew long, and the people were happy in the peace that the All-Maker provided. But, the Skaal grew complacent and lazy, and they took for granted the Lands and all the gifts the All-Maker had given them. They forgot, or chose not to remember, that the Adversary is always watching, and that he delights in tormenting the All-Maker and his chosen people. And so it was that the Adversary came to be among the Skaal._

_The Adversary has many aspects. He appears in the unholy beasts and the incurable plague. At the End of Seasons, we will know him as Thartaag the World-Devourer. But in these ages he came to be known as the Greedy Man._

_The Greedy Man (that is what we call him, for to speak his name would certainly bring ruin on the people) lived among the Skaal for many months. Perhaps he was once just a man, but when the Adversary entered into him, he became the Greedy Man, and that is how he is remembered._

_It came to be one day that the powers of the Skaal left them. The strength left the arms of the warriors, and the shaman could no longer summon the beasts to their side. The elders thought that surely the All-Maker was displeased, and some suggested that the All-Maker had left them forever. It was then that the Greedy Man appeared to them and spoke._

_"You of the Skaal have grown fat and lazy. I have stolen the gifts of your All-Maker. I have stolen the Oceans, so you will forever know thirst. I have stolen the Lands and the Trees and the Sun, so your crops will wither and die. I have stolen the Beasts, so you will go hungry. And I have stolen the Winds, so you will live without the Spirit of the All-Maker._

_"And until one of you can reclaim these gifts, the Skaal will live in misery and despair. For I am the Greedy Man, and that is my nature."_

_And the Greedy Man disappeared._

_The members of the Skaal spoke for many days and nights. They knew that one of them must retrieve the Gifts of the All-Maker, but they could not decide who it should be._

_"I cannot go," said the Elder, "for I us must stay to lead the Skaal, and tell our people what is the law."_

_"I cannot go," said the Warrior, "for I must protect the Skaal. My sword will be needed in case the Greedy Man reappears."_

_"I cannot go," said the Shaman, "for the people need my wisdom. I must read the portents and offer my knowledge."_

_It was then that a young man called Aevar lifted his voice. He was strong of arm, and fleet of foot, though he was not yet a warrior of the Skaal._

_"I will go," said Aevar, and the Skaal laughed._

_"Hear me out," the boy continued. "I am not yet a warrior, so my sword will not be needed. I cannot read the portents, so the people will not seek my counsel. And I am young, and not yet wise in the ways of the law. I will retrieve the Gifts of the All-Maker from the Greedy Man. If I cannot, I will not be missed."_

_The Skaal thought on this briefly, and decided to let Aevar go. He left the village the next morning to retrieve the Gifts._

_Aevar first set out to retrieve the Gift of Water, so he traveled to the Water Stone. It was there the All-Maker first spoke to him._

_"Travel west to the sea and follow the Swimmer to the Waters of Life."_

_So Aevar walked to the edge of the ocean, and there was the Swimmer, a Black Horker, sent from the All-Maker. The Swimmer dove into the waters and swam very far, and far again. Aevar was strong, though, and he swam hard. He followed the Swimmer to a cave, swimming deeper and deeper, his lungs burning and his limbs exhausted. At last, he found a pocket of air, and there, in the dark, he found the Waters of Life. Gathering his strength, he took the Waters and swam back to the shore._

_Upon returning to the Water Stone, the All-Maker spoke. "You have returned the Gift of Water to the Skaal. The Oceans again will bear fruit, and their thirst will be quenched."_

_Aevar then traveled to the Earth Stone, and there the All-Maker spoke to him again._

_"Enter the Cave of the Hidden Music, and hear the Song of the Earth."_

_So Aevar traveled north and east to the Cave of the Hidden Music. He found himself in a large cavern, where the rocks hung from the ceiling and grew from the ground itself. He listened there, and heard the Song of the Earth, but it was faint. Grabbing up his mace, he struck the rocks of the floor in time with the Song, and the Song grew louder, until it filled the cavern and his heart. Then he returned to the Earth Stone._

_"The Gift of the Earth is with the Skaal again," said the All-Maker. "The Lands are rich again, and will bear life."_

_Aevar was tired, as the Sun burned him, the trees offered no shade, and there was no wind to cool him. Still, he traveled on to the Beast Rock, and the All-Maker spoke._

_"Find the Good Beast and ease his suffering."_

_Aevar traveled through the woods of the Isinfier for many hours until he heard the cries of a bear from over a hill. As he crested a hill, he saw the bear, a Falmer's arrow piercing its neck. He checked the woods for the Falmer (for that is what they were, though some say they are not), and finding none, approached the beast. He spoke soothing words and came upon it slowly, saying, "Good Beast, I mean you no harm. The All-Maker has sent me to ease your suffering."_

_Hearing these words, the bear ceased his struggles, and laid his head at Aevar's feet. Aevar grasped the arrow and pulled it from the bear's neck. Using the little nature magic he knew, Aevar tended the wound, though it took the last bit of his strength. As the bear's wound closed, Aevar slept._

_When he awoke, the bear stood over him, and the remains of a number of the Falmer were strewn about. He knew that the Good Beast had protected him during the night. He traveled back to Beast Rock, the bear by his side, and the All-Maker spoke to him again._

_"You have returned the Gift of the Beasts. Once again, the Good Beasts will feed the Skaal when they are hungry, clothe them when they are cold, and protect them in times of need."_

_Aevar's strength had returned, so he traveled on to the Tree Stone, though the Good Beast did not follow him. When he arrived, the All-Father spoke to him._

_"The First Trees are gone, and must be replanted. Find the seed and plant the First Tree."_

_Aevar traveled again through the Hirstaang Forest, searching for the seeds of the First Tree, but he could find none. Then he spoke to the Tree Spirits, the living trees. They told him that the seeds had been stolen by one of the Falmer (for they are the servants of the Adversary), and this Falmer was hiding them deep in the forest, so that none would ever find them._

_Aevar traveled to the deepest part of the forest, and there he found the evil Falmer, surrounded by the Lesser Tree Spirits. Aevar could see that the Spirits were in his thrall, that he had used the magic of the Seeds and spoken their secret name. Aevar knew he could not stand against such a force, and that he must retrieve the seeds in secret._

_Aevar reached into his pouch and drew out his flint. Gathering leaves, he started a small fire outside the clearing where the Falmer and the ensorcelled Spirits milled. All the Skaal know the Spirits' hatred of fires, for the fires ravage the trees they serve. At once, the Nature of the Spirits took hold, and they rushed to quell the flames. During the commotion, Aevar snuck behind the Falmer and snatched the pouch of Seeds, stealing away before the evil being knew they were gone._

_When Aevar returned to the Tree Stone, he planted the tree in the ground, and the All-Maker spoke to him._

_"The Gift of Trees is restored. Once again, the Trees and Plants will bloom and grow, and provide nourishment and shade."_

_Aevar was tired, for the Sun would only burn, and the Winds would not yet cool him, but he rested briefly in the shade of the Trees. His legs were weary and his eyes heavy, but he continued on, traveling to the Sun Stone. Again, the All-Maker spoke._

_"The gentle warmth of the Sun is stolen, so now it only burns. Free the Sun from the Halls of Penumbra."_

_And so Aevar walked west, over the frozen lands until he reached the Halls of Penumbra. The air inside was thick and heavy, and he could see no farther than the end of his arm. Still, he felt his way along the walls, though he heard the shuffling of feet and knew that this place held the Unholy Beasts who would tear his flesh and eat his bones. For hours he crept along, until he saw a faint glow far at the end of the hall._

_There, from behind a sheet of perfect ice, came a glow so bright he had to shut his eyes, lest they be forever blinded. He plucked the flaming eye from one of the Unholy Beasts and threw it at the ice with all his might. A small crack appeared in the ice, then grew larger. Slowly, the light crept out between the cracks, widening them, splitting the ice wall into pieces. With a deafening crack, the wall crumbled, and the light rushed over Aevar and through the Halls. He heard the shrieks of the Unholy Beasts as they were blinded and burned. He ran out of the Halls, following the light, and collapsed on the ground outside._

_When he was able to rise again, the Sun again warmed him, and he was glad for that. He traveled back to the Sun Stone, where the All-Maker spoke to him._

_"The Gift of the Sun is the Skaal's once again. It will warm them and give them light."_

_Aevar had one final Gift he had to recover, the Gift of the Winds, so he traveled to the Wind Stone, far on the western coast of the island. When he arrived, the All-Maker spoke to him, giving him his final task._

_"Find the Greedy Man and release the Wind from its captivity."_

_So, Aevar wandered the land in search of the Greedy Man. He looked in the trees, but the Greedy Man did not hide there. Nor did he hide near the oceans, or the deep caves, and the beasts had not seen him in the dark forests. Finally, Aevar came to a crooked house, and he knew that here he would find the Greedy Man._

_"Who are you," shouted the Greedy Man, "that you would come to my house?"_

_"I am Aevar of the Skaal," said Aevar. "I am not warrior, shaman, or elder. If I do not return, I will not be missed. But I have returned the Oceans and the Earth, the Trees, the Beasts, and the Sun, and I will return the Winds to my people, that we may feel the spirit of the All-Maker in our souls again."_

_And with that, he grabbed up the Greedy Man's bag and tore it open. The Winds rushed out with gale force, sweeping the Greedy Man up and carrying him off, far from the island. Aevar breathed in the Winds and was glad. He walked back to the Wind Stone, where the All-Maker spoke to him a final time._

_"You have done well, Aevar. You, the least of the Skaal, have returned my gifts to them. The Greedy Man is gone for now, and should not trouble your people again in your lifetime. Your All-Maker is pleased. Go now, and live according to your Nature."_

_And Aevar started back to the Skaal village._

I finished reading the book and stood overlooking Skaal village, wondering just how on earth I was going to accomplish such a feat on my own.

Thinking about it, I hadn't ever really been alone before. Not really. Before, I had my family in Cyrodiil, and no matter how hard things became for us there, we always made do. I had my 'father', even if he was more than a bit distant from our household at times as he worked to bring in the money we needed to survive. I had Serethi...no matter how severe she could be at times, I knew that she loved us and wanted what was best for us in the end.

I had my sister, Eriama, and in a lot of ways growing up she was one of my best friends. When my life changed dramatically on that night almost three years ago, she was one of the people I ended up missing most. Occasionally my thoughts drifted towards her, wondering just who she was now and how she was doing.

And I had Ida.

_I felt a hand reach into the water to grab my own, and surprising me, somehow it managed to have the strength to lift me half way above the water._

_The sudden brightness assaulting my eyes almost shocked me to the point where I fell back into the water. I was so overwhelmed by everything that was happening I felt as if I was losing my ability to physically feel_ anything.

_"Ulina, hold on tight to my hand," Ida warned. "Help is on the way!"_

_But I felt as if I could not. I tried to communicate this to Ida, but my words merely came out as incomprehensible gibberish. Soon enough, I thought I heard the sounds of footprints. Of metal clanking on the ground._

_The only answer I could think of was that it was an Imperial Guard Eriama and Lillia had found while searching for help. I felt a pair of strong hands lift me up out of the water, and place me onto the grass._

_I looked around. Ida wrapped her arms around me, mostly to keep me warm, but the guard with us handed me a towel. I had no idea where he got it from. I didn't care._

_He didn't seem at all like the Imperial Guards from any of Serethi's tales or lectures. He seemed young; kindly. He had the biggest blue eyes I had ever seen._

_"There you are," he said. "You're safe now."_

_He turned to Ida, then Lillia and Eriama._

_"Care to explain why you were playing near the lake? It isn't safe for children out here on their own," he chided._

_I heard Ida gulp._

_"It was my fault, Sir Lex," Lillia said. "I was the one who wanted to go! I'm sorry."_

_Lex scowled slightly._

_"I think it's time you all went home and this young lady is given a warm bath and some rest," he told us all. I felt myself cringe at the thought of a warm bath; I didn't want to be near any large body of water or anything that even remotely resembled it. "It's a lucky thing that no mudcrabs or slaughterfish were around to cause even further trouble."_

_In the end, Ida wrapped her arm around me with the towel draped over my shoulders. Eriama and Lillia were ahead of us. Serethi's reaction to the day's events was to be expected. She wasn't too happy, but she drew me a warm bath and surprising me, she tried to comfort me. When she tucked me into bed, she even gave me a hug._

_Occasionally, I saw Lex over the years as I travelled through the Imperial City. The most I'd ever really do was give him a polite wave as some form of acknowledgement. However, when I reached my teens, I saw him even less as he had been promoted to Captain and he spent most or even all of his time in the Waterfront._

_As for Ida, I was grateful to her for saving my life. For being saved from drowning._

But this time around, the person to save me from drowning was myself. Though it wasn't water I was drowning in this time.

It was despair.

For many days, I found myself travelling around Solstheim in the snow and ice, reactivating the stones that were scattered around the island, and then carrying out the tasks at hand. Like emptying a giant sack of empty air inside a tomb, or following a horker across a freezing lake. I found myself freezing cold and probably close to death many times and I found myself in combat many, many times during the journey after months of not doing so; fighting off wolves, spriggans and many other creatures I had never seen before in my life. In doing so, I felt a certain sense of satisfaction with myself I hadn't felt in awhile.

Maybe Wind-Eye had a point when he said I had fire in my soul.

Within weeks, I was back at Skaal Village, and Wind-Eye was impressed with my efforts in restoring the Oneness within the land. I still didn't entirely believe it, but it didn't really matter.  
"I can tell that the Ritual is completed The Oneness once again flows through the land. Can you hear it in the trees? Do you feel the humming of the living land?"

Not really. But Wind-Eye was still beaming by the end of it.

"It is a good thing you have done here, Ulina," he assured me. "I am proud that you have done this. Simply by carrying out this task you have shown loyalty to the Skaal. I think you should tell Heart-Fang of your progress."

So, I did. Heart-Fang wasn't as impressed as Wind-Eye, but he still showed gratitude. As he damn well should. I didn't walk all over the damn island for nothing.

"I am impressed with your efforts, outsider," he said to me, gruffly. "But there is more to be done."

Oh, but of  _course_  there was!

"You have shown a certain loyalty to the Skaal, and it surprises me," he continued. "Tradition dictates that you now hold this."

He held out a very elaborate looking mace. It was silver, and sparkling. It seemed almost too elaborate.

A nice gift. Too bad I was mostly a sword girl. I wasn't going to refuse it, though. I know how  _that_ was likely to turn out, given that I tried to do so with Helseth.

"This is the Mace of Aevar Stonesinger," Heart-Fang explained. "This is a treasure of the Skaal that I do not relish giving to an outsider."

"Then why are you giving it to me?" I couldn't help but ask.

Heart-Fang's eyebrows furrowed.

"Because you have earned it. You have proven your loyalty. Now, it is time to prove your wisdom."

"Wisdom?"

Heart-Fang nodded. **  
**"Though I believe your heart may be one with the Skaal, your mind must be as well."

He paused, his eyebrows furrowing even more, before he spoke again.

"To that end, I would have you investigate a crime. It involves two of the Skaal, and your actions may decide their fates."

I didn't like the sound of that. If I did, I may as well have joined the Imperial Guard a long time ago. That, and I  _hated_ making decisions. How was I going to make such a decision, when I barely knew anything about their laws or customs?  
"Engar Ice-Mane has been accused of theft. His accuser, Rigmor Halfhand, claims that Ice-Mane stole furs from his house. These furs were, indeed, found in Ice-Mane's residence."

"So he's a thief?"

Heart-Fang shrugged.

"I don't know if Ice-Mane actually  _did_ steal the furs, but you should know that the Skaal do not take such things lightly. We have little, and each is given according to his need."

"What would be the...punishment, for such a crime?"

I had to ask. I'm sorry, but I did.

"This offense is punishable by exile..." Heart-Fang replied.

"Or?"

"...or sacrifice to the wolves," Heart-Fang finished coldly. "Ice-Mane will surely choose the wolves. He would want to go back to the All-Maker and be born anew. Now, tomorrow, after you rest, speak with the Skaal. Find out what you can. Then, report your findings to me, so the guilty may be punished appropriately."

Alrighty then.

I trudged upstairs, and slept in one of the spare bedrolls. I guess I had another issue to contend with now, simply to gain the Skaal's trust.

Oh well. That was for the morning.


	5. Test of Wisdom

**Chapter Four: Test of Wisdom**

_26th of Rain's Hand, 3E 429_

The opinions I managed to get out the Skaal regarding Engar Ice-Mane was that he was one of the Skaal's best warriors, and a very honorable man. Everyone seemed quite shocked by the accusations from Half-Hand, which made sense given everyone's high opinion of him.

No one much liked Rigmor Half-Hand, however.

"He is a clever one," a woman told me, while scowling. "He is wise and crafty, and perhaps for this, he is not well-liked. Still, he is of the Skaal, and we must take his accusation seriously."

Of course they did, even if it turned out he  _was_  a liar. Which, in my opinion, seemed worse than actually stealing the furs in the first place. No one needed to have a snake in their midst.

In the end, I ended up talking to Wind-Eye in his hut over a warm cup of tea. Or, at least to me it seemed like tea when I tasted it. There was something different about the drink, and it was certainly nothing that could be found in Cyrodiil or Morrowind.

"Heart-Fang is  _testing_  you, Ulina, as is his nature," Wind-Eye revealed. "He is distrustful of all those beyond the Skaal village, and he is slow to accept others into his confidence. Expect him to continue testing you."

"I'm used to being tested," I replied, with a hint of bitterness.

I still wasn't too happy with all the "tests" I had to do for Helseth last year. And don't even get me started on the Ashlander tribes and Great Houses of Vvardenfell. They  _all_  royally took the mick with their "tests."

"I understand," Wind-Eye told me, wearily. "But Heart-Fang is a hard man, and his challenges may be dangerous."

Oh, I was more than used to dangerous already. Probably  _too_  used to it.

"I promise that I will help you whenever I can. You may trust in me," Wind-Eye reassured me.

Well, it was nice to know I had someone looking out for me in this horrible place.

"Right now, Heart-Fang wants me to investigate a crime," I began, and then began explaining the incident where Ice-Mane allegedly stole some furs from Half-Hand. By the end, Wind-Eye seemed confused about the whole thing.

I didn't blame him.

"I have heard about this crime, and it puzzles me," he ended up saying. "Engar Ice-Mane is known to be an honorable warrior. Still, making a false accusation against another man seems a risky thing to do, as it carries out the same punishment for whatever crime one accuses them of. I doubt even Rigmor Halfhand would do such a thing."

"What can you tell me about Ice-Mane?"

"Engar has been a valiant warrior for the Skaal for as long as I can remember. He comes from a long line of honorable men. Both his father and his father's father were known to be brave and honest men as well. His wife, Risi Ice-Mane, will be heartbroken if he is found to be guilty."

"Risi?"

"She can make huge mistakes, but she is a good woman, and comes from good people. Her heart is open and full of love and life," Wind-Eye sighed heavily. "I only hope that her heart does not get broken by this entire affair."

"But why do you think Rigmor would make a false accusation?" I asked, before adding, "you know, if it turns out he  _has?"_

Wind-Eye sighed again.

"Perhaps it is out of jealousy," was his thoughtful response. "Rigmor has never been a warrior, but he has distinguished himself many times as a clever man. He has always envied Ice-Mane, for he has all the qualities and perks he never had."

Wind-Eye took a sip of his tea, before he continued.

"Rigmor is not without his faults, however. He is rash, and I fear his sharp wit and quick temper may have prevented him from ever finding a mate among the Skaal. Still, he has been a valuable member of the community in his own way, but he has never been able to see it."

"Thank you," I said.

"Ulina, I suggest you speak to Engar, Risi and Half-Hand yourself to figure out what is truly at work here," Wind-Eye advised. "All anyone else will have is an outsider's perspective."

On that he was probably right. Time to get to work.

So first I asked Ice-Mane, who wasn't actually that far. He was, in actuality, on his way to the Great Hall as I stopped him to speak to me about it. He wasn't happy, and I wasn't surprised by this in the slightest.

"I know what I am accused of, and I know that it is a  _lie!"_  Ice-Mane spat fiercely. "I have  _no_  need for the furs of Rigmor Halfhand. I am a Skaal warrior. My honor and the honor of the Skaal are my life. But if I have to, I will bear this injustice as any warrior  _should_  - with dignity."

"If you didn't steal the furs, then how did they get into your house?" I asked him.

Ice-Mane rolled his eyes.

"Half-Hand obviously snuck them in," he snarled. "I had no quarrel with Halfhand until this day. I even thought him a friend to my family...to my wife, Risi Ice-Mane, especially. While I was on the hunt, he was known to keep counsel with her and others who remained in the village. And now  _this_  from him!"

"Why did he keep counsel with your wife?"

"Risi is my wife, a wise and beautiful woman. But her life is not an easy one, as I am often gone for weeks on a hunt, so Half-Hand often stood by her side while I was away. But she is strong, and our child will be a fine warrior, like my father and his before me."

In the end, I left Ice-Mane. Something seemed so...off. He insisted his innocence, yet he resigned himself to his fate.

And apparently claimed Half-Hand planted the furs in his house. The entire thing seemed fishy and I didn't like it. Of course, I didn't like having to investigate this at  _all,_ but what could I do?

I went off towards Half-Hand's small, little house on the edge of the village. He didn't seem phased by this at all, which just worried me more.

"I can't understand why he would do such a thing," Half-Hand told me. "We of the Skaal give to each according to need. If Ice-Mane had needed more furs, they would have been provided. But, instead, he stole them from my home."

"If they would have provided, then why would he steal them?" I asked, not bothering to hide my skepticism.

"It is difficult to explain," Half-Hand replied. "I feel sorry for his lovely wife, who will be left all alone. He had always been a valuable member of the Skaal. But he is not a caring man. He leaves his lovely, pregnant wife for weeks at a time while on the hunt. He probably stole my furs because he wasn't able to provide enough for his family. Such a sad story."

From the sounds of things, Ice-Mane was  _more_ than able to provide for his family, if everything I heard was true. He even stayed out for months at a time simply to make sure that he  _could_  provide for his family.

As far as I was concerned, Half-Hand was a liar. Now as to  _why_ he was lying, I couldn't really say. Not yet, anyway.

"Risi is a beautiful woman, deserving of better than her husband. Were I her mate, she would lead a much better life."

Oh, okay. He practically gave away the reason on his  _own_ , the idiot. Now I just had to find some proof, as it wasn't like I could confront Half-Hand about it without it.

It seemed the only course of action was to visit Risi Ice-Mane now, so I headed in the direction of the Ice-Manes's cabin, where I was greeted at the door by a heavily pregnant woman, with long blonde hair. She seemed quite young, almost younger than me. I later learnt she was only eighteen. Quite young to settle down and marry in the culture I was raised in, but the Skaal had a different life, I suppose.

"You are the one who is to investigate a crime that has been blamed on my husband, aren't you?" She asked. "How may I help you?"

"I need to speak to you," I began. Risi nodded, and gestured for me to enter the house. I did so, and then began to ask her about her opinions on the entire...I guess you could call it a criminal investigation? I have no idea what to call it here. It wasn't like the Skaal had a formal justice system.

"I'll tell you now, Engar would  _never_  do a thing such as this," Risi insisted, coldly. "I know my husband; he is a man of honor, and we want for nothing. I can only imagine what would drive Rigmor to make such an accusation."

"What  _would_ cause him to make such an accusation?" I asked her.

"I think that perhaps he is jealous of my husband, and these charges are meant to disgrace him," Risi revealed. "I confess, he terrifies me. He had been a good friend to me until this accusation. We had spent...some time together. But now, he has decided to ruin my family."

She sighed.

"Please forgive me, but I must take a break for a few moments," she told me. "Pregnancy causes one to have a very light bladder. I will be back in a moment."

And with that, she me alone left the cabin. That gave me the chance to look around, and one of the things that stuck out to me was a not I found under a pillow on one of the beds. It looked a bit wrinkled, but was still readable.

_Dearest Risi,_

_Why will you not see me? You know how I feel, and I know you feel the same about me. Please, simply consent to speak to me. Just a word, a moment with you, would ease my soul. If I cannot be with you, I will have to resort to something drastic._

_Please, consider your feelings. Your husband is a lout, away for weeks at a time, with no consideration for your needs. I have always been there for you, and I always will be. We should be together, dear Risi._

_RH_

There was a hell of a lot of emotional blackmail involved in this note. I had a feeling this note was merely the tip of the iceberg.

From the looks of things, Rigmor Half-Hand took advantage of Risi while she was in a vulnerable position; alone, in the cold without her husband around, and then coerced her into bed with him. When Risi (rightfully) no longer wanted anything to do with him, he started getting jealous.

I tore my eyes away from the letter when I heard the door to the cabin open again and turned to see that Risi had returned.

She scowled in my direction.

"You have  _found_  the letter, I see?"

She didn't sound over angry that I had been snooping through her belongings, only slightly irritated.

"Then you must know that it is true that Rigmor and I had a brief affair while my husband was away, but I have since ended it."

I understood why. I didn't condone it or anything, but I understood. Ice-Mane spent a significant amount of time away, often for months and months. Risi was probably feeling alone, and then in comes Rigmor Half-Hand, being disgustingly sweet and charismatic, taking advantage of the situation simply so he could get into bed with someone else's wife.

Horrible.

"He refuses to let me go, though," Risi said, darkly. "I fear that he has caused this trouble just to get rid of Engar. You must put a stop to this. My husband is a good man, and does not deserve this fate. He deserves to live amongst us...with me and his child."

So that was it.

I trudged off to Half-Hand's cosy little cabin, ready to confront him for the lies he has told.

"Hello, Ulina," He greeted me with a very unsettlingly smug smile. "What can I do for you?"

"You can explain this, that's what you can do," I told him, before handing over the letter I had found under Risi's pillow. He glanced at it, before looking up, his face twisting into a sneer.

"You...you found that letter."

"I have found many over the past two years, if we're being honest," I remarked. "Don't ever underestimate my letter-finding skills."

Half-Hand ignored me.

"But why would...? This is an outrage! I never..."

"Stop making excuses," I snapped. "I asked you to explain yourself to me, and you will."

Half-Hand rolled his eyes.

"I only  _wanted_  the woman," he began.

Oh yes, referring to women as possessions. We're off to a good start there, lads!

"Why did that fool have to choose the wolves?" Rigmor continued, his voice filled with rage. "He could have simply  _left_ , and she and I could have been together forever!"

"Easy to say," I responded, coldly. "Very easy to say. Now for such a thing to actually happen? Risi would have had to have actually  _wanted_  you in the first place."

Half-Hand winced at my comment, before scowling.

"You took advantage of a young, pregnant woman," I continued harshly. "She was never actually  _in love_ with you, you abused her vulnerability. Everyone would have been able to see it if you married her. Do you really think that's going to earn you any respect among your people?"

Half-Hand opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, he said nothing. Because he knew I was right.

"I think we should go back to the chieftain," I finished.

"Yes," Half-Hand hissed. "Let us go to him, and I will accept my fate."

And of course, Heart-Fang wasn't happy about this, either.

"Half-Hand has invented this...this  _tale_  of theft?" Heart-Fang spat, roaring his anger. "Over a  _woman?"_

His voice was so loud I was pretty sure the entire Great Hall was going to end up hearing about it.

"By the All-Maker, this will  _not_  go unpunished! By Skaal tradition, making a false accusation carries the same penalty as the crime that is claimed. In this case, either exile or death by sacrifice to the wolves."

He turned to me.

"Ulina, the verdict is yours to decide. Choose this liar's fate."

Oh, boy. No pressure there at all. Nope. None. Perhaps sensing my hesitation, Heart-Fang spoke again.

"If we summon the Caenlorn, the ceremonial wolves of the tribe, his spirit will be purified and reborn, perhaps to a better life than this one that he has chosen to throw away. But if you choose exile, Halfhand would be forced to leave the Skaal Village, never to return. None of the Skaal will hunt him, but neither will they offer him aid, even in his most dire need. He will be dead to this tribe until the end time."

"You know my crime," Half-Hand spat. "Get on with your job, outsider."

Heart-Fang glared in Half-Hand's direction.

"Shut up, for this outsider has surely shown more respect for our way of life than  _you_  have," was his response to Half-Hand.

Wait a second? Heart-Fang was defending  _me?_ That was unexpected, given that I knew he didn't really like me. Now I've seen everything.

This response caused Half-Hand to recoil.

I know I shouldn't consider this, considering that Exile would essentially be giving Half-Hand what he wants. But how was he going to learn from his mistakes in death? How was he going to become a better person?

"Half-Hand must be exiled permanently from the Skaal, or he must be fed to the ceremonial wolves. Which do you choose?" Heart-Fang demanded.

I looked towards Heart-Fang, and then Half-Hand, and as I locked eyes with the latter, I gave my response.

"Exile."

The room was filled with a sudden silence. Everyone – even Heart-Fang – seemed shocked by my choice. But my choice was my choice, and that was the end.

I was not going to explain my choices to anyone.

"Then he shall be exiled," Heart-Fang declared. "Half-Hand may never again return to the Skaal village, and he shall be dead to the Skaal forever."

He turned to Half-Hand.

"Get out of my sight, exile," he spat. "Then get out. You have done enough damage to the Skaal."

As Half-Hand left the Great Hall, Heart-Fang turned to me.

"It is a cruel choice you have made, Ulina, but perhaps it is wise. How would he learn from his mistake if he was dead?"

At least he sees the logic in my choice. Somewhat.

"Here, accept this token," he passed me an enchanted helmet. "This is the Helm of the Wolf's Heart. It is unlikely, but perhaps you, too, can be more like the wolves we revere."

Yes. I agree. Very unlikely.

"You have done well, Ulina. You have shown your loyalty and wisdom," he paused. "Rest for now, but tomorrow, I require one more thing of you."

* * *

As I left the Great Hall, and as I turned towards Wind-Eye's Hut, I was stopped by Ice-Mane.

"Ulina," he began. "I cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for me and for my family," he paused. "Because of you, I get to live, and see the birth of my child. Would you perhaps like to join me and Risi for a hot meal?"

I raised my eyebrows.

"Please," he said, "it's the least we can do for all you have done for us."

Alright then.

I ended up joining Ice-Mane and Risi for some horker stew in their cabin, before I went back to the bedroll in the Great Hall. The next day, Heart-Fang pulled me aside as I made my way out.

"You appear to be well rested," he remarked. "Now that you have regained your strength, I wish for you to prove it to me as a warrior."

"How?"

"I wish for you to travel to Lake Fjalding. I will mark it on your map. Seek out Korst Wind-Eye, who has traveled there already. He will give you further instructions. Look for him on the northern shore of the lake."

I went that night, towards the direction of Lake Fjalding, which wasn't that far from the Village. It was dusk by the time I arrived.

What I saw in the distance was enough to shock me for the rest of my life.


	6. Into Fire and Darkness

**Chapter Five: Into Fire and Darkness**

_11th of Second Seed, 3E 429_

The lake was, to my great surprise, on fire.

Wind-Eye stood by the edge of the lake, and the bottoms of his feet were covered in snow. As soon as he saw me, he waved in my general direction. I waved back.

"Ah...you've arrived," he began.

I raised an eyebrow.

"What happened to the lake?"

Something in the back of my mind kept on telling me that logistically, what I was seeing before my eyes simply wasn't possible. How fire could be burning from an ice cold lake was beyond any stretch of the imagination

Wind-Eye turned from me back to the lake, and then back to me.

"These are strange times, my friend," he replied, solemnly. "I am unsure what magic is being worked to cause such a disturbance on the lake, but you were sent here to prove your strength."

"I am not the strongest warrior," I warned, but this just caused Wind-Eye to chuckle.

"But your achievements have proven that you are able," he stated. "Not just anyone would have been able to defeat those with access to divine power. The chieftain and I have full confidence in you and your ability to survive in the harshest of conditions. Beneath that lake there are a series of ice caves. In one of those caves, you will find Aesliip, a Draugr Lord."

"A Draugr Lord?"

I'm pretty sure if I was remembering right, it was the way most Nords traditionally buried and preserved their dead. Except sometimes, not unlike the undead of Morrowind, they never really died due to unfinished business while they were still living.

"Yes," Wind-Eye replied. "Heart-Fang believes he is the one responsible for the disturbance on the lake."

"What makes him think that?"

Wind-Eye sighed.

"Fire from water, flame through ice," he murmured.

I saw a glint of the fire in his eyes, and for some reason, this made the sight disturb me more.

"Strange indeed. Heart-Fang believes that a Draugr Lord who lives beneath the lake is the source of this, but I am not certain. I fear that this could be a sign of the Bloodmoon Prophecy, though I pray to the All-Maker that this is not so."

The Bloodmoon Prophecy? I had no idea what that was, but hearing the name sent a chill down my spine.

"From what I have read in the histories, Aesliip was once a powerful mage who delved in necromancy," Wind-Eye explained. "As a result of these dark magics, he was made a draugr, but he retains much of his immense power. You are to kill this creature, and perhaps end this madness. Take care with this task, Ulina. This situation seems odd to me."

Oh, believe me when I say that I absolutely  _would_ kill this creature or die trying, but there was just one last question I had that I needed to ask first.

"You mentioned something about the Bloodmoon Prophecy," I began, cautiously. "Just what is it?"

Wind-Eye's brow began to furrow.

"It is an ancient prophecy, one that I hope is but a myth," he told me. His expression showed me just how troubled he was as he spoke. "It tells of a time when the moon above will turn blood red, and the wolves that walk like men will walk the land. The prophecy tells of other signs that precede the Bloodmoon, but they are not all easily interpreted."

There was a sudden silence as I was left to ponder on those words. Wolves like men? That sounded unpleasantly familiar. All I could think about was the events that transpired at Fort Frostmoth. The wolves that were seen that day could only be described as being "like men."

Wind-Eye turned to me again.

"Let us speak about this at another time. For now, Ulina, you are to prove your strength."

I nodded.

"Then I will," I said. "You may as well go back to the village, because otherwise you'll just be standing around waiting in the snow."

"I'll at least see you off, Ulina," Wind-Eye's brow furrowed. "I wish you the best of luck."

I began to walk through the snow towards the ice, and thanks to the water-walking amulet I had managed to find in my travels and few months ago, I managed to walk across the ice without slipping.

The ice surrounding the flames continued to melt away, all while I felt no heat from it at all. All I felt was the same cold, winter air that I had become familiar with since I travelled to Solstheim. In fact, it wasn't entirely the same; it felt even harsher than usual.

The ice under my feet began to weaken, and as it did, I felt my heart skip a beat in anticipation of what was to come.

I had always hated trying to swim; I had ever since I was a child, on that dreadful day near Lake Rumare. But I would do it so I could find out whether or not this Draugr Lord was actually the source of this disturbance, and then continue on my way.

I took a deep breath and jumped into the lake. I could instantly feel the cold on every area of my body, and this took a few minutes to completely get over before I found it in me to swim into a small, narrow tunnel at the bottom of the cave.

Soon enough, I emerged and was finally able to breathe. The cave was covered in ice. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised by this, but if I hadn't been, I would have been able to fully prepare for it. I cast a fire spell, mostly in the hope of warming up slightly.

All I managed to find was more draugr and their minions, and they were very quickly dealt with by Trueflame or a spell aimed in their direction. I treked through the cave, encountering undead after undead, until I found a dark, narrow passage. I squeezed through and managed to find the Draugr Lord I was looking for.

It looked different to the others; larger and darker with large, red eyes. If I didn't know any better, I'd say in his former life, he was a Dunmer.

I could only hazard a guess that this was Aesliip.

I felt his scarlet eyes on me, and that caused a chill to run down my spine.

**"You are brave or foolish to enter this place, Dunmer,"** he spoke. His voice was old and frail. **"But I sense a bit of wisdom in you...perhaps."**

"Wisdom?"

**"Yes,"** Aesliip said.  **"I might kill you where you stand, were you to try and keep me from my task, but there are more dangerous things in these caves then this poor soul."**

Odd behavior for a draugr, I found, and I suppose Aesliip could sense I was thinking this on some level, given what he said next.

**"I have been in this cave for many centuries. The draugr you met in this place are not my kin."**

"Then what are they?"

**"Mindless creatures, driven only by desire for living flesh. My story is quite different. I was once a mage, of the people who call themselves the Skaal. I was powerful, mortal. Powerful beyond their reckoning. But I strayed. I delved into the black arts, became learned in the ways of necromancy. When this was discovered, I was cast out by my people. Alone, I wandered to this place."**

"How did you come to be cast out, if you don't mind me asking?"

**"I continued to learn what I could of the ways of the living flesh and the energies that animate. I became a summoner, I communicated with the Daedra. It was then I learned of their machinations, their plans to destroy my people."**

Oh, dear. That didn't sound the least bit pleasant.

**"A group of Frost Daedra had taken up residence deep in the bowels of this island. I thought at first that it was my doing, that I had somehow summoned these fiends. But they were beyond my abilities. I learned that they would wipe this island clean of life, slaughter my people and all we held dear. I knew I must act."**

"Did you?"

**"I tried to warn my people, but I was an empty voice to them, as though I were dead. So I used my magic to erect a barrier deep in this ice, strong enough to contain these Daedra and keep them from overrunning the island. The barrier held; for years I maintained it. But I grew old, and I knew that my death would mean the death of all life on Solstheim."**

"So, you didn't allow yourself to die? Is that why you're a Draugr?"

I thought I heard a hollow chuckle from Aesliip at that question.

**"I knew there was wisdom in you, Mortal. You guessed correctly. My life had to be extended by any means, so I used my knowledge of the black arts, and I turned myself into the creature you see before you. A Draugr. Eater of Flesh. But my life was infinite. I could keep the barrier intact so that my people might survive."**

He paused, moving his crimson eyes towards me. I couldn't sense the emotion behind his eyes. Not really.

**"And now you appear. To kill me, perhaps?"**

"That's what I was sent to do," I admitted. "The chieftain of the Skaal wanted me to destroy you to prove my strength."

Aesliip almost seemed to nod after I said those words, but I wasn't sure.

**"I understand why the chieftain would send you. I can sense that you possess power, Mortal. And you may have the power, but perhaps you have a greater purpose here."**

There was a sudden silence for a few minutes, before Aesliip spoke again.

**"Fight with me, Dunmer,"** he proposed. " **Together, we might vanquish these creatures, send them back to their unholy plane. I will lower the barrier, and we will cleanse the land of this scourge."**

If Aesliip had considered these daedra to be so dangerous as to keep himself barely alive for centuries, then I may as well at least  _consider_ his request. Besides, he never attacked me. So, what did I have to lose? Absolutely nothing, that's what.

"Then we will fight these creatures together, my friend."

Aesliip chuckled again.

**"This is wise, Mortal. I will lower the barrier that keeps the demons at bay. You and I will be victorious, as the lives of all those above are forfeit if we are not."**

So, I decided to follow Aesliip towards yet  _another_ tunnel, but this time it was being shielded by some sort of barrier. Aesliip quickly took care of that, and together we managed to take down several Frost Atronachs that inhabited the tunnel. In the end, after it was all dealt with, Aesliip's bony hand grabbed one of my own, and he began to speak again.

**"It is done,"** He declared. His tone was even more frail than it was before. " **My time is over. You have done a service here today, Mortal. Both to me, and to the people of this island. Now I may rest."**

His boney hand suddenly gripped mine very tightly. I was wondering how I was going to be free again, given just how tightly he gripped my hand. It was going to leave me with pins and needles to be sure. With his free hand, Aesliip fished a ring out of the tunic he was wearing and placed it in mine.

**"Before I go, take this, Dunmer. May you have the strength of will to continue your own journey."**

And with that, he let go of my hand and fell onto the floor, his red, glowing eyes now completely pale and lifeless. His bones eventually turned into ashes on the floor, and I was left standing in the cold cave on my own.

He was tired. Tired and dead, but he fought to the end, stubbornly refusing to completely die until his finished business was complete. In a way, I had to admire it.

_Farewell, Aesliip._

* * *

I swam out on my own, but by the time I did, it was already dark. The fire wasn't gone; in fact, if anything it was roaring way more than before. I climbed onto one of the large rocks nearby, and sat down, attempting to get my breath back.

A full moon was rising nearby, and I felt a chill suddenly run down my spine at the sight of it.

At least it wasn't blood red.

Soon enough, the moon disappeared behind dark, grey clouds, leaving me in total blackness.

_I had nightmare after nightmare after that day at Lake Rumare, and for about a month on end, I woke up to myself screaming, often waking Eriama. She would often run into my father and Serethi's room, and my father often had to come in and soothe me back to sleep as I cried in his arms._

_"There, there, Ulina," I heard him say, as he ran his hands through my hair, "you're safe now, as they would want it to be so."_

_I had no idea who 'they' were but I didn't dare ask. Maybe it was my mother? No, it couldn't be, because 'they' meant it was more than one person._

_Eriama would often stand by, clearly worried by what she saw. This made me feel even worse somehow. But I began to shake the thoughts off when I began to fall asleep again._

_My fears persisted. Serethi was no longer having it after awhile._

_"Look, Ulina, I know you fell," she began, quieter than I had ever heard before. "But everyone falls. Not once, but many, many times throughout their lives. Do you know why we fall, Ulina?"_

_I shook my head._

_"So that we can learn from it and rise again," was Serethi's reply. "You didn't drown, and you can learn to keep yourself safe from the water again in the future."_

_Eventually I managed to get over my fear of water, but only slightly. I wasn't afraid of bathing, or rain but I was afraid of large bodies of water. This fear persisted until I left Cyrodiil, despite Serethi's words._

_Ida knew better than to invite me to Lake Rumare any of the times she went, and not just for my sake, either._

_It wasn't the only time I had fallen. In a way, I did again, not long after Julan's death in the Clockwork City._

_Suddenly, the scene before my eyes disappeared. Everything changed and I saw him before me now, and I felt a sudden feeling in the pit of my stomach._

_"Hi, Ulina," he began, and he started smiling. "It's been awhile, hasn't it? Never thought I'd see you in Solstheim."_

_I felt myself blanch._

_"You're supposed to be dead."_

_"I know," he replied. "But I'm still alive in your heart. For what it's worth, Ulina, it was never your fault. Don't blame yourself for my death."_

_"Of course it was my fault! You wouldn't even_ be  _dead if it wasn't for me!"_

_"Then I forgive you. I forgive you a thousand times. I'll say whatever it takes for you to finally forgive_ yourself  _and continue to live."_

_He paused, and met my eyes._

_"I want you to live. To live and rise again, just as you were meant to. Ulina,_ please."

The sky above me began to brighten, and I was suddenly brought back to the real world. It was in the early hours of the morning by now, and I never actually imagined I'd be here this long.

I couldn't entirely promise I was going to live on, but for the sake of this island at least, I knew I was going to have to try. At least for a while longer.

* * *

_"Papa," I heard Eriama ask our father, "do you think werewolves are real?"_

_Our father paused, and looked up from the storybook he was reading and turned to Eriama with a nervous smile._

_"Perhaps they do," he replied. "But I don't think so, and even if they did, it's unlikely we would ever have to worry about them. I have never heard of sightings of them in Cyrodiil."_

_"But what if they come in the house, and climb under my bed?" Eriama pressed. "They would eat us all, Papa!"_

_Our father only chuckled._

As I made my way to the shore of Lake Fjalding, I noticed that Wind-Eye was still standing where he was before, and I raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you would have returned to the village," I began.

"One could hardly not wait to see the outcome of the test," Wind-Eye responded. "What of Aesliip, my friend?"

"He didn't need to be killed, he needed to be saved," I said. "But he now lies dead."

Wine-Eye nodded.  
"So he is defeated," was his response. "It seems there was more to that creature than any of us had imagined."

He paused, and looked at the burning lake for a split second, before turning back to me with a slight smile.

"You have done well, Ulina. I, for one, would be proud to call you Skaal," he put a hand on my shoulder. "We should return now to the Skaal village. There are matters I must attend to, and I'm sure Heart-Fang would want to hear of Aesliip's fate."

So we went back in the direction of the Skaal Village, and as soon as we returned, Wind-Eye went back in the direction of his hut as I headed towards the Great Hall. I was originally going to go and lie down, not expecting anyone to be up at around this time. But Heart-Fang was.

"You have returned from the lake!" He began loudly, as a way of greeting. And when I say loudly, I mean, loudly. I mean geez, doesn't he know there are people trying to sleep? I supposed he hardly cared when he was surprised to see me alive.

"You continue to surprise me, Ulina," He continued. "Tell me, was Aesliip to blame for the fires that roar on Lake Fjalding?"

I shook my head, and at that, Heart-Fang almost looked terrified.

"Tell me, Ulina..." He paused. "Do the fires still burn?"

"I'm afraid so, Chieftain."

He tore his eyes away from me, his look solemn.

"I hope for our sake, that our Shaman is not right..." He looked at me. "I will speak with you more about this, but on the 'morrow. For now, I think we should both get some rest -"

The Great Hall doors suddenly burst open, and one of the guards for the village burst through the door, clearly out of breath. Both Heart-Fang and I raised our eyebrows.

"I hope you have a good reason for barging in here at this time," Heart-Fang snapped.

"Listen to me," the Honor Guard begged. "You  _must_  help! The village is under attack by werewolves!"

The color on Heart-Fang's face drained very quickly, and became a very frightening pale. It probably paled in comparison to what my face must have looked like. Heart-Fang and I exchanged quick looks.

"You heard the man..." he suddenly growled.  _"Go!_  Let's help our people!"

We all rushed outside, and the sight before me filled me with an intense feeling of horror.

Bodies. Bodies everywhere, being torn to shreds by the same wolf-like creatures I had seen outside Fort Frostmoth, weeks ago. Blood soaked into the snow, and severed body parts were everywhere in sight.

I looked around. Heart-Fang was nowhere to be found amongst the crowd of remaining Honor Guards.

Just as I took in the sights around me, a wolf started growling in my direction, showing off its nasty sharp teeth and claws. I unsheathed Trueflame and started attempting to knock it down, all while it attempted to slash my throat.

It wasn't long before I knocked the first one down, but more wolves soon surrounded me.

_Oh, no._

"Look, they're after the flame on Ulina's sword!" I heard someone shout. "After them!"

The remaining Skaal in the fight helped me to take them down the rest of the Werewolves, before I heard someone shout that one of them had managed to escape into the Great Hall.

Somehow, I still had the energy for this, even after the events that happened before. I ran towards the Great Hall so fast I didn't even process the time it took for me to get there.

There wasn't just one wolf; there were two. There was blood all over the floor, and a severed body of someone I didn't quite recognize. I didn't have the time to try and identify them anyway, not with both the wolves advancing towards me. One of them let out a chilling growl.

I held up Trueflame, and the wolves started to surround me. One of them dragged it's claws over my clothing, and I there was a sudden, painful gash on my shoulder. I returned with a stab in the stomach, and by slitting the throat of the other.

As soon as both wolves dropped dead, I took a deep breath, and then turned, fully taking in the surroundings around me.

The man that lay dead was Engar Ice-Mane. I felt my heart sink in my chest.

After recently being discovered to be innocent, he was dead. Killed by the wolves. Powerful wolves that walked like the men amongst us.

Risi was going to be devastated. That is, if  _she_ was even still alive.

I heard footsteps behind me, and turned to see Wind-Eye enter the Great Hall.

"The werewolves?"

I couldn't help but ask. I  _had_ to ask.

"They are all dead," he told me. "As far as we can see."

I let out a sudden sigh of relief.

"You look tired," he said.

Of course I did. I had been fighting werewolves all night, when really, I should have been able to get some sleep in the first place. But that's just how my life was. I could never truly rest.

"Where's the Chieftain?" I asked.

"Gone," Wind-Eye replied. "There is no trace of him. And in the midst of this, my worst fears have been realized, Ulina. These creatures are werewolves, as you surely know."

"They're the same wolves that showed up at Fort Frostmoth," I revealed. "Then the Captain went missing."

Wind-Eye looked at me for a moment as the Hall went silent, before speaking again.

"Heart-Fang is missing. This does not bode well for our people. This is not a good omen for our village, or for the island as a whole," was his dark response. "I have used my magic to detect any of the infection these beasts leave in their wake."

Wind-Eye looked at me for a few seconds.

"You were not among them," he stated. "You are immune to all disease, and for that, I feel thankful. I suppose there are great things that happened in your past, and the fact that you have acquired such an immunity is one of them."

He smiled.

"Come," he said. "You have done well by the Skaal. We have many important matters to discuss in the morning, but first I think you must rest. Rigmor Half-Hand's former residence has been untouched by the wolves. I think you should rest there."

I felt a bit weird about sleeping in the house of the man I exiled, but I had no choice. The Great Hall was an absolute mess, and I didn't feel it right to sleep amongst corpses. So I went off and fell straight into bed, not even staying awake long enough to process the events of the day before me.


	7. Claw and Fang

**Chapter Six: Claw and Fang**

_1st_ _of Midyear, 3E 429_

"Ulina Therayn, you have been true to our people, and the Skaal name you Blodskaal, a blood friend to our people," Wind-Eye said to me after I went to see him the next day. "You will be given a home here, Rigmor Halfhand's former residence, in which you may rest. Also, it has been decided that you will take part in the Ristaag, an important Skaal ceremony."

"What is the Ristaag, exactly?"

Knowing everything I knew about important Skaal ceremonies so far, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this.

"A ceremony of blessing and cleansing that we Skaal perform only very rarely," Wind-Eye explained. "These are frightening times, my friend. There have been ominous portents, and they concern me. Heart-Fang is missing, and I fear that the All-Maker does not breathe freely on the Skaal this day. The ceremony must be completed, but first I will need you to retrieve the Totem of Claw and Fang."

"And just what is that?"

"It is a powerful artifact, very sacred to the Skaal people," Wind-Eye explained. "It is used to call to us powerful beasts that are used in the Ristaag. It was stolen many years ago, and we of the Skaal were foolish enough to believe it would not again be needed."

"Do you know where it is?"

"I have learned that it may be found in the Tombs of Skaalara, to the east and a bit south of here. Please, Ulina, I need you to go there and return the Totem to us."

I headed in the direction of the tomb, as Wind-Eye instructed. It wasn't a long walk…that is, if you don't count all the creatures I had to fight on the way, lengthening the journey. Small blue goblins and wild boars were a nuisance alright. By the time I reached the tomb, the sun was setting. I pushed the heavy, stone door in and entered, walking slowly.

Maybe it was because of all the time I spent amongst the Dunmer of Morrowind, but I still hated the idea of entering tombs. I felt as if I was disturbing… _something._ And the response I received from Heart-Fang when I returned that skull to him when I first met him just made me think that the Skaal had similar beliefs. But you do what you have to do.

The tombs were dark, damp and smelled like mold. I had a feeling that there was probably something in here, waiting to attack me.

I wasn't expecting it to be werewolves, though.

Two of them, as a matter of fact. The both began to circle me, their bright yellow eyes piercing into mine, their claws sharp and ready to cause me unbearable injuries.

I unsheathed Trueflame.

"Well, hello there," I said.

All I got was a growl in response. Not that I was expecting anything different.

That was when one of the werewolves decided to try and hit me with their deadly claws. Luckily for me, I ducked and then stabbed one of them in the chest with Trueflame. The wolf dropped to the ground, blood spilling everywhere.

Then, in response, the other wolf growled and attempted to tear open my stomach. All I had was a few scratches, thanks to the armor I was wearing. I managed to take this one out as well, before proceeding onwards.

The totem was on a pedestal at the back of the tombs. It was a large piece of jewellery, pieced together with a claw, fang, feathers and a few beads. I picked it up and stuffed it into my rucksack, before leaving the tombs. Which I was glad to.  _Ugh._

I trudged back to Skaal Village, and by the time I did, it was dusk. Wind-Eye was waiting for me outside the Great Hall.

"Have you been successful in retrieving the Totem?" he asked me.

On cue, I opened my rucksack and pulled out the totem.

"I don't know, Korst," I said, while holding out the totem for him to see, "you tell me."

Wind-Eye looked momentarily shocked, before joy spread across his face.

"You've found it! This is good news!" he cried. "But the good news means we must get on with the task at hand; the Ristaag must now be performed."

"You never really explained to me what the Ristaag was."

"We perform the ceremony in order to please the All-Maker in times of desperate need," Wind-Eye explained. "It is done to please the All-Maker, to show him our gratitude for the gifts he has given us. You have been of great service to the Skaal, and it seems right that you take part in the ceremony."

Oh, wow. What an honor. No, seriously, I wasn't even being sarcastic. But Wind-Eye had been so vague as to what the Ristaag actually was, that I had no idea what I was supposed to even do.

"What is my role in this?"

"I cannot explain that to you now," Wind-Eye replied.

_Great._

"Meet at nightfall with Rolf Long-Tooth, one of our Skaal hunters," he instructed. "You will find him by the western shores of Lake Fjalding. He will tell you more about the Ristaag and the part you will play in it."

It didn't take that long for nightfall to arrive, so I didn't get much rest before I headed towards Lake Fjalding. By the time I arrived, snow had begun to start falling and yet the fire still burned in the center of the lake, much to my horror. I could still see it in the distance. Rolf Long-Tooth wasn't that far away, and beside him stood two other warriors, Sattir the Bold and Grerid Axe-Wife, as I later learned their names were.

"Greetings, Blodskaal," Long-Tooth said as soon as he saw me. I'm surprised he even knew who I was, given I had never seen him before, even though it had been months since I started staying amongst the Skaal. "Korst Wind-Eye has told me much about you. You are to perform the Ristaag with us, pleasing the All-Maker."

"With all due respect, I still don't fully understand what the Ristaag is."

"Then allow me to explain," Long-Tooth replied. "You cannot take part in something you don't understand. In the Ristaag, we hunt the Spirit Bear that is conjured by the Totem of Claw and Fang, which you retrieved for us."

I nodded, indicating that Long-Tooth should continue.

"When it is slain, we will return its heart back to Wind-Eye, who will ask for the blessings of the All-Maker. If the Ristaag fails, or does not succeed by daybreak, the All-Maker will be displeased. But I am sure that will not happen. You are strong, Blodskaal. You will help ensure our success."

"So, what do I need to do?" I asked.

"You will act as my second," Long-Tooth said. "You are to stay with me at all times during the Ristaag, and to follow my instructions exactly. You have proven your value to the Skaal, but now you must allow me to guide you through this night."

I only nodded, which seemed to please Long-Tooth. He gave the other two hunters orders, and they both went in the complete opposite directions of each other. Long-Tooth and I meanwhile, went straight ahead. I kept my eyes out for anything that looked vaguely like a bear, but it was hard to see with all the snow that was falling. In fact, the amount of snow that falling made me think that I should expect a storm any time soon.

For a split second, I thought I heard a scream. And then, a distant howl. Long-Tooth turned to me, with a grim look of surprise on his face.

"Did you hear that?"

I nodded slowly, which caused Long-Tooth's face to turn a deadly pale. It's not like it wasn't pale enough already, given the current weather.

"It came from near Sattir the Bold's path," Long-Tooth told me.

Wow, he knew  _exactly_ where the sound was coming from? Impressive. I doubt that I would have been able to do that.

"Go to him, Ulina, and make sure he is well," he instructed. "Then, return to me as fast as you can so we may complete the hunt."

I had my doubts that Sattir  _was_ well, given the screams I had just heard. It didn't take long to find his mauled corpse behind the rock, only slightly covered in snow. Blood had begun to seep through the snow on the ground, making for an unpleasant sight.

His throat had been completely torn to shreds.

I had a gut feeling that werewolves were responsible for this, but of course I couldn't prove it. But by now, I knew exactly how they killed their victims. I had seen it enough.

I could only imagine how relaying the news of this to Long-Tooth was going to go.

It didn't end well.

"Sattir is dead?" Long-Tooth repeated after I had found him again and told him the news.

"I'm afraid so."

"This is a bad omen," Long-Tooth said darkly. "These creatures are dark spirits indeed, and they will try to disrupt the hunt. We will not allow this to happen. The loss of Sattir is great, but we must continue. It's what he would want, and it's what the Skaal need. Let us go."

We continued onwards, for what seemed like hours. There was still no sign of any bear, and the snowfall began to grow heavier…as unbelievable as that sounds. After a long enough time of searching, I heard a second scream, accompanied by another sound. A sound that made my stomach churn.

"What was that?" Long-Tooth let out, and then turned to me. Our eyes met for a brief second, and in that moment, I knew that we both knew damn well what those sounds meant.

The sound of howling wolves was unmistakable.

_"Shit!_  These creatures are everywhere!" Long-Tooth looked around, before turning back to me. "Quick, find Grerid Axe-Wife! Do not allow the hunt to be disrupted!"

It didn't take long to find Axe-Wife's body, mutilated in much the same way Sattir's was. Seeing all this death was actually starting to make me feel ill.

It turned out that Long-Tooth wasn't that far from me as I went to find him, making me believe that perhaps he followed me to see for himself.

"She was a good warrior, and a good friend," he said. "We must not let this stop us, though."

He smiled weakly.

"It is up to us to complete the Ristaag, my friend," Long-Tooth remarked. "We must not let our Skaal brothers and sisters down."

We continued to trek through the snow, and it didn't seem like the snowfall would grow much heavier, much to my relief. After about an hour of silence, I heard another piercing howl. It sounded as if it was much closer to us than before. Long-Tooth quickly snapped his head in my direction, raising an eyebrow.

"Did you hear that?" He asked, his tone suddenly sharp.

"Of course," I replied.

I turned around, as did Long-Tooth. Three werewolves appeared before us, their yellow eyes and sharp claws already threatening us with death at their…um… _hands._ Long-Tooth quickly unsheathed his sword, and I cast a firespell, knocking one of the wolves backwards. As a result, I could smell the undeniable stench of burnt fur in the air.

Long-Tooth was left with two wolves attempting to tear him apart. I unsheathed Trueflame, and attempted to help but even then, I felt I hadn't done much. The wolf's claws were sharp enough to tear Long-Tooth's stomach and throat, and I had the feeling he was probably wearing damaged armor, probably under the belief he wouldn't have had to have fought such powerful beasts tonight. By the time the wolves were defeated, Long-Tooth was already dying. But he still had enough strength to speak to me a final time.

He lay on the snowy ground, on the brink of death. I kneeled, mostly so I was able to hear him. Otherwise, his voice would have been inaudible.

"We have…defeated those creatures and honored our fallen comrades…" Long-Tooth's voice grew coarse, as if he was struggling to breathe. Which I knew he was. "Now, though, Ulina…you must find the Spirit Bear and return its heart to Wind-Eye to…complete the Ristaag…"

There were a few moments of silence, but eventually, Long-Tooth was able to break it to speak his last words.

"You have proven yourself a valiant warrior, Ulina. You shall…lead the way for the rest of the Ris...Ris…taag…"

Long-Tooth began to cough violently, then completely collapsed in the snow. I pulled myself to my feet, taking in the sight around me.

It really  _was_ up to me to complete the Ristaag now.

I found myself searching for the bear for another hour or so, but eventually I found it.

The bear was fighting a riekling, but after the riekling fell, it laid it's eyes on me. I decided to take this challenge on from afar, by unleashing the most powerful fire spell. To my surprise, it knocked the bear out instantly, and there wasn't much more to be done.

Except retrieve the heart. I didn't really like that idea. I mean, would  _you?_

I went towards the corpse of the bear, and using Trueflame, cut open the bear's pelt, leaving a disgusting amount of entrails in the snow. I had to bite back my own bile while I was doing this; it truly  _was_ disgusting. Eventually, I managed to grab the heart, and at that, I ripped a piece of cloth off my own robes to wrap around it.

My hands were covered in blood and slime now.

_Wonderful._

But at least I could say the job was done, right?

It was almost daybreak when I finally managed to get back to Skaal Village, and the first thing I did was enter the Great Hall, where Wind-Eye was. At least the Great Hall was warm, with an open fire roaring in the background. Because you know something? I was tired of being out in the cold for hours on end. I just wasn't built for it like the Skaal were.

I grabbed the wrapped-up heart out of my rucksack, and handed it directly to Wind-Eye without a word. I hope he forgives me for this, considering I just didn't have the energy for words at the current moment.

"You have the heart!" Wind-Eye exclaimed. He unwrapped and then examined the disgusting thing. I was more than happy for it to be out of my hands.  _Ugh._

As soon as Wind-Eye was done with that, he turned to me and smiled.

"You have done well, Ulina, as the Skaal have come to expect of you. Your efforts are appreciated. But now, I fear we must speak more of the ominous signs that have appeared on the island."

_Ominous signs?_


	8. Ice Castle

**Chapter Seven: Ice Castle**

_10th of Midyear, 3E 429_

"What ominous signs?" I couldn't help but ask, my voice layered with caution. Wind-Eye grimaced slightly.

"There have been many, though I've been reluctant to speak of them," he admitted. "I want to be sure…but the coming of the werewolves, the fire on the lake...and now I've been told that the northern shores are the scene of a massacre."

"Massacre?"

"Many horkers are dead, Ulina," he told me, his voice dark. "The shores are littered with corpses, and the death of the horkers has not been explained. All these things are suggested in the Bloodmoon Prophecy."

And yet again, this prophecy was mentioned. And I had no idea what it was. All I knew was that it wasn't good.

So, yet again, I found myself asking.

"With all due respect, Korst…you've never explained to me what The Bloodmoon Prophecy  _is._  What is it?"

Wind-Eye sighed.

"It is an ancient Skaal legend that tells of the time before time, when a demon god would walk the land. It is told there are signs that precede the Bloodmoon, and I fear that we have been witness to some of these signs."

The way Wind-Eye spoke sent a chill down my spine.

"Perhaps we will speak more about this later, but I hope we will not have to."

"I think you need to tell me anyway."

Wind-Eye scowled.

"I need to be certain that this is the prophecy before we act," he replied. "Which is why I need you to investigate the death of the horkers along the coast. We  _must_  find out what has happened. Perhaps this is a sign of prophecy…perhaps not."

"What do you think it is?"

"I prefer to think that it is the work of mortals," was Wind-Eye's response. "I would have you travel to Castle Karstaag, and confirm my suspicions."

"Where is Castle Karstaag?"

"It is a castle made of ice on the northwest part of Solstheim," he explained. "There lives the frost giant named Karstaag. The Skaal have lived in peace with the monster for many years, but we have heard nothing from the giant for some time."

"So you think he was responsible for the death of the Horkers?"

"Possibly," Wind-Eye admitted, his brow furrowing as he spoke. "It is more likely that this slaughter could be the workings of the Rieklings who serve him. Either way, go there and find out what you can. You will not be allowed in the main entrance, but we have recently discovered an entrance in the waters north of the castle."

He smiled slightly.

"But that is for the 'morrow. For now, we should both rest. Good luck to you, Blodskaal."

I set off the following morning, at the crack of dawn, heading in the same direction that Wind-Eye had pointed me in. It must have been afternoon when I finally reached the tall ice structure on the northernmost tip of the island, considering the how bright the sun was shining at that point. It was still freezing, though, which didn't surprise me in the slightest. The castle was literally made of ice, which reflected in the sunlight. It would have been a pretty amazing sight, if it wasn't for what I laid my eyes on next.

Corpses of horkers completely surrounded the coast, and as I grew closer, the sight became more and more ghastly. The corpses were already decaying, with maggots infesting the bodies looking for their pound of flesh. The stench was enough for bile to build up in the back of my throat. I tried to ignore it as I headed towards the edge of the sea.

There was no point in me trying the front door. Not only did Wind-Eye tell me it wouldn't work, I highly doubted that if I tried to knock that I was going to get a response.

It took a few moments of trying to convince myself, but eventually I dived into the ocean after casting a water breathing spell, and not long afterwards I found a tunnel which lead into the castle. I then cast a fire spell to dry myself, carefully walking to as to not attract any attention to myself.

" _Joooo Fah!_  A Dunmer!"

Well, clearly that didn't work.

I turned around, looking to find the source of the sudden outburst, and saw a riekling before me. I'm surprised all he did was stare at me, rather than attack me.

I had no idea rieklings could even talk!

"Ugly thing, aren't you?" The riekling went on to sneer.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Cheeky little bastard, aren't you?"

The riekling merely gave me a half-shrug.

"It's not  _my_ fault if you're too tall."

Well,  _that_ was one I had never heard before in my life. All I had ever heard was people telling me I was too short.

"What business you got at Castle Karstaag?" He demanded. "And make it quick. No time to talk."

I rolled my eyes.

"If we truly don't have time to talk, why bother asking?" I snapped.

"Tell me," he snapped back, "or I'll take you to the boss and have you chopped."

Ooooh, what a nasty threat! I was  _so_ scared!

"If you must know, I've come to investigate the dead horkers along the coast," I replied. "I need to make sure it wasn't because of this castle."

The riekling chuckled slightly.

"Dead horkers?" He smiled slightly, in a rather creepy fashion. "Mmmmm...rancid horker meat…"

 _Ugh._ How disgusting. I couldn't even imagine anyone or anything eating rotten meat willingly.

"You're asking the wrong guy. I know someone who might be able to help, though. But I've got my own problems!"

"What problems?" I demanded. The riekling then looked slightly unsettled as he began to explain what happened. Looking back, this was quite unsurprising.

"The master...Karstaag, that is...has taken off," he explained darkly. "Gone. Don't know why, don't know where. Didn't seem like he was coming back. So, some of the boys and I figured we'd take over the place. Dulk has been running the show upstairs."

"Who's Dulk?"

I could only presume he was  _also_  a riekling.

The riekling before me snorted his contempt.

"He's a moron and a toady," he growled. "He's the Master's pet."

Clearly he didn't like Dulk. But that wasn't my concern.

"You took over the castle?"

The riekling nodded.

"Right," he grunted out. "Sneak attack. From below. Very clever. We even made a deal with a pack of grahl to act as muscle. Didn't work out so well."

"What happened?"

The riekling shook his head slightly.

"See, these grahl aren't the most trustworthy," he explained. "Turned on my guys. Ate 'em, actually. I'm the only one left. And I can't even get upstairs now!"

"I need to get upstairs," I explained, which lead him to snort.

"You can't get up there either, stupid," he snapped. "See, no one can enter the castle without the mast...Karstaag's blessing. Which I have."

I raised an eyebrow. This was clearly going somewhere…

"I figure, you help me get past the grahl, I'll get you into the castle. Then you can ask little Dulk anything you want. So whaddya say?"

"Do I have a choice?" I asked, my voice deadpan.

"No!" The riekling snapped. "So, c'mon. Let's move it, then. I'm Krish, by the way."

"And I'm Ulina," I said.

Krish seemingly rolled his eyes – or at least as close as he could come to rolling his eyes, considering he was a riekling.

"That's a stupid name."

"I don't recall asking for your opinion," I retorted. Krish snorted his contempt, but said nothing as we made our way to continue onwards. Unfortunately, there were three grahl around the corner from us. I  _had_ seen them before, I just hadn't known what they were at the time. Giant, walking monsters with tusks. I cast a large shock spell, which managed to kill them all simultaneously, but left me drained of magika.

"Why wouldn't you just hack them, stupid?" I heard Krish snarl. I rolled my eyes in response.

"I don't see  _you_ helping," I pointed out.

Krish scoffed.

"Stupid Dunmer! If I had helped you, the grahl would kill me, and then you wouldn't get past without the blessing!"

I rolled my eyes, but I knew he was right. That tiny annoying bastard was more useful to me alive, so I did the best I could to take down the remaining grahl on my own – which to my complete surprise, I did. It was mostly a surprise considering my complete lack of magika. Eventually, we did make it past them together and into the throne room.

I was completely surrounded by rieklings, with one particularly fat one sitting at the other end of the room on a large, icy throne.

My guess was that this one was Dulk.

"A  _Dunmer?_  What are you doing here?" Dulk snarled as both Krish and I entered the throne room. "The master will not be pleased!"

Oh, sure. I highly doubted the "master" would be pleased that Dulk had essentially taken over as ruler of his castle either, but you know, that's none of  _my_ business. The only way for my reaction to have been more fitting was if I was sipping a cup of tea.

"Fucking shut it, pea-for-brains," Krish snarled back at him. Dulk's attention turned from me to Krish, his small, red eyes blazing with anger.

" _And_  you come with Krish!" Dulk continued. "Evil,  _evil_  Krish! Krish is  _bad_ , and  _you_  are bad for helping him!"

I shrugged. I had been called much worse than "bad," in all honesty. Dulk's attempts at insulting me were pathetic.

"Oh, spare me the insults," I snapped. "It was never about helping Krish."

To be honest, Krish was just a means to an end. On some level, Dulk must understand this. He eyed me, and then proceeded to hiss out his irritation.

"What is it you want, Elf? You should leave."

"I came to find out why all the horkers on the coast are dead, and I was pointed towards this castle. Would you happen to know anything about that?"

Dulk let out another snarl.

"This was not our doing," he bit out. "Not even Krish could have done this! He was too busy here.  _I_  was too busy here!"

"What about Karstaag, the giant?"

"Gone! The master is gone, gone with the wolves!" Dulk admitted, his voice filled with fear. "Big wolves! Evil wolves! Wolves that walk like men! Took the Master days ago! No time for the fat horkers! And Dulk did  _none_  of this!"

Oh, boy.

_"Gone?"_

This sounded horribly familiar. In fact, it sounded just like what happened at Fort Frostmoth when Captain Carius disappeared.

"Are you sure?"

I had to ask.

"Yes, yes, the master is gone," Dulk repeated. "The wolves came and took him away. Left Dulk to run everything all alone! But the master will be back soon. The master  _must_  come back soon!"

All anger in Dulk's voice was replaced with fear. And given what he just described, I didn't blame him.

I didn't blame him one bit in the slightest.

* * *

I headed back towards Skaal Village, with snow falling from the sky at a remarkable speed. If it came any faster, I would have called it a snowstorm. By the time I managed to make it back to Skaal Village, it had completely stopped, but it was completely dark. Gods only knew what time it was.

The remainder of the Skaal after the attack sat huddled around a fire. Even though I knew for a fact that Nords were resistant to cold, it was colder now than before.

Wind-Eye sat in the center, but as he saw me approaching, he stood up and nodded towards his hut, where, once inside, gestured I sit down.

"You have made a long journey," he commented. "I trust, that, given all the effort you have made, that you have learned more about the death of the horkers, or the involvement of Karstaag and his Riekling minions?"

"They were not involved," I told him. Wind-Eye raised his eyebrows, so I continued. "Karstaag is gone…I suspect he may have been taken by those werewolves."

Wind-Eye sighed.

"I feared as much," he admitted. "Even those creatures could not have caused such carnage. This is a bad sign, Ulina, and I fear we have not yet seen the worst."

"Just what is the worst, then?"

"The Bloodmoon Prophecy," he replied. "Now, I fear, we must speak more about it. It is time."

"Just what is The Bloodmoon Prophecy?" I demanded. "Does it have something to do with all these…disappearances?"

Wind-Eye nodded towards the spare stool beside him, where I sat down.

 **"** The legend tells of a time that occurs once in each era, when a demon god will walk the land in the company of his Hounds, creatures of terrible might," he began to explain darkly. "He is The Hunter, and his coming is preceded by three signs. I had prayed that I had misread the signs, misunderstood the prophecy, but I am sure it is not so."

"And what are the signs?"

"The first tells of Fire From the Eye of Glass," Wind-Eye replied. "This we have seen on Lake Fjalding, though I had hoped it was the mere magic of the draugr lord."

I think we all did, in all honesty.

"Next, the prophecy tells us of the Tide of Woe," he continued. "Even now, our shores are lined with the corpses of the horkers, dead for a reason we cannot fathom."

It was quite horrifying. And gross. But that last complaint was relatively petty in comparison to everything else.

"Finally, the prophecy tells us of the Bloodmoon, when the young moon itself runs red with the blood of the Hunter's prey."

Wind-Eye paused, before sighing heavily and speaking again.

"Look to the skies, Blodskaal," he warned, nodding towards the door.

We exchanged looks briefly, before I rose from my seat and opened the front door, stepping into the thick layer of snow that caked the ground, seeping into my fur-skinned boots.

It was no longer snowing, and the skies above were clearer than ever, but as soon as I laid my eyes on Nirn's moons, I knew that we were all basically doomed.

Masser appeared normal, but as soon as the clouds cleared enough to reveal Secunda, I was completely struck with amazement. And  _fear_ …let's not forget the fear part because that was important as well.

It wasn't white as it usually was. No, it was crimson. The color of blood.

And there wasn't a star in the sky.

_What on Nirn…?_

The chill that ran down my spine was unmistakeable.

Suddenly, I felt Wind-Eye place a hand on my shoulder, and we exchanged the same grim expressions before both of us turned to face the sky again.

"The third sign is upon us…" I heard Wind-Eye murmur. "Now we wait for the Hunter's Game."

* * *

There was nothing more that could be done.

I returned to my hut, and I collapsed into the bed long before I had the chance to do anything else. Silence filled my ears as I began to fall asleep.

 _"Ulina, wake up,"_ I heard a familiar voice say. A voice that still haunted me despite the healing I was trying to do.

I was too tired to take heed.

_"Ulina, you need to wake up!"_

It was the growl I heard that caused me to jolt.

Three werewolves surrounded me, causing me to suddenly grasp onto Trueflame. I attempted to fight back, but in the end, I felt too overwhelmed to do anything.

I couldn't for the life of me remember what happened next.


	9. The Bloodmoon Prophecy

**Chapter Eight: The Bloodmoon Prophecy**

_14th of Midyear, 3E 429_

_"Ulina, wake up," I heard Serethi snap at me. "You need to get ready to attend school, get out of that damn bed!"_

_I sat up and turned to see Eriama was slowly getting dressed._

_"Hurry up, or we'll be late for your sister's first day!" Serethi barked. "And you know how special that will be for her."_

_As I got up out of my bed, the scene suddenly disappeared and I was no longer in my bedroom._

_"Ulina, by the Nine Divines,_ wake UP!"

_Instead, I was in class, at the Temple of the One. I felt as if a ton of bricks had been dropped on my head._

_"For Talos' sake," I heard Ingrid hiss, "just how late did you stay up last night?"_

_I felt myself begin to tremble._

_"Er…I have no idea…"_

_"Well, obviously it was late enough for you to start falling asleep in class," Ingrid snapped at me. "This is the third time this week, I'll obviously have to speak to your parents."_

_Ingrid cleared her throat._

_"We will now continue to learn more about the Treaty of the Armistice," Ingrid continued, "this was the Treaty that created peace between Morrowind and the Empire, and…"_

_Suddenly, I found myself somewhere else. On the floor of a dark, damp prison cell._

_"Wake up, fellow Dunmer," I heard someone_ _taunt in my direction. It was Valen Dreth, the prisoner across the hall from me. "Although, I suspect, if you ever set foot in Morrowind, you would be called an Outlander. Those natives don't much like Outlanders."_

_His tone came out as a sneer. I wanted to respond with my own retort, but when I opened my mouth, no words came out._

_"Come to think of it, are you sure you're a Dunmer?" Dreth continued, the antagonism still very clear in his voice. "You look much too short to be a Dunmer. You must be a halfling; probably mixed with Bosmer…we Dunmer aren't so short as you."_

_What a fool. He genuinely had no idea what he was talking about._

_"Well guess what, you halfling murderess? You're going to die in here," he snarled. "You're going to die!"_

_Everything suddenly changed again, and I was being shaken awake by a guard._

_"GET UP, DARK ELF."_

_And then, I was suddenly dragged out of the Imperial Prison. Just as that happened, the scene changed._

_"Wake up!"_

_Suddenly, I was being shaken awake by a strange Dunmer on a ship in the middle of nowhere._

_"Stand up," he instructed. I tried, but I felt as if my legs were jelly, and only slumped back into the bed. The other prisoner then extended a hand and I took it, letting him help me to my feet. "There you go," he told me._

_The scene then faded in my mind, and all I heard was a chorus of the same words, all from familiar voices. A thousand or so voices crying out, all carrying the same message._

_"Wake up, Ulina!"_

_"Wake up, we have to go to the Temple!"_

_"Wake up, Ulina! It's Saturalia!"_

_"Wake up, Prisoner!"_

_"GET UP, DARK ELF!"_

_"Wake up!"_

_Then, I heard another voice._

_"Ulina, you have to wake up," I heard Julan tell me, his voice barely a whisper. "It's begun."_

I opened my eyes.

Pain was the first thing I noticed, and it was from the injuries I sustained while the wolves had slashed at my body. My left arm had the worst injury, and blood was oozing all down my arm. My shoulders and stomach were all covered in bruises and open wounds.

My vision was blurry, but not enough for me to not take in my surroundings. The very strong odours of blood and salt overwhelmed my senses. I could hear howling and the gust of wind in the distance. I saw Trueflame right in front of me, and reached for it, before I slowly pulled myself to me feet.

" _Ahhh...you have arrived."_

It didn't take long for me to recognize the tall figure before me, concealing his features with that sinister bone mask, covered in furs.

"Hircine."

Hircine chuckled in response.

_"Yes, clever one," was his reply. "The others have been here for days now, and you are the last. It is time for my Hunt, and you are to take part."_

Oh, joy. I should not pretend that I didn't see this coming. I unsheathed Trueflame, not taking my eyes off the Daedric Prince.

 _"I have chosen only the worthiest to take part the Hunt,"_ Hircine continued _. "Carius of the Imperials, Heart-Fang of the Skaal, the frost giant Karstaag...and you..."_

He paused.

_"…Ulina Therayn, Nerevarine,_ _savior_ _of Morrowind and Azura's unwitting pawn. You have proven yourself a worthy hunter, and so you have been given this_ _honor_ _."_

I never asked for this honor. It would have been nice to have been asked…seriously.

" _You and the others are to find your way to my Hunting Grounds. Take great care, as only one of you will earn the glory of facing the Hunter himself in battle while the Bloodmoon lights the sky. The others have gone ahead, so only you remain to begin. Beware, mortal. My Hounds are about, and they hunger for blood."_

"This isn't a fair game," I pointed out to him. "I have nothing but my sword and the clothes I am wearing on my back. Just how am I expected to get out alive?"

 _"Because you are prey, and you will be apart of this hunt as prey,"_ Hircine answered.

He chuckled darkly.

 _"Perhaps I will see you soon,"_ were Hircine's last words, before he disappeared into a cloud of red smoke. I looked around me, looking to see which direction I should head in next and noticed a stone door right before me. I could hear the same distant howling and remembering that Hircine had warned me that there were wolves about, I held up Trueflame and quickly hurried towards the door and pushed it open.

"No, stay away!" I heard a familiar voice ground out. "I have nothing…stay the f– "

I saw a figure in the shadows, hiding behind the crevices of large rocks. And even though he was considerably thinner and paler since I had last seen him, I knew who he was instantly.

"Captain Carius?"

Just like that, Carius slowly emerged from his hiding place, and his eyes widened as soon as he saw me.

"Ulina Therayn?"

"In the flesh," I replied. Carius was clearly starving and looked as if he was about to faint any moment. It was a miracle he was even still alive.

"I am so sorry that you, too, have been brought to play in this nefarious game," he said. "What happened to the Fort?"

"Saenus and Gaea sent me to search for you," I told him. "I was sent to the Skaal to see if they were involved. I have no idea what transpired in the Fort since, but things on this Island for me went pretty downhill from there. But never mind that, how are you?"

"I will probably die in here," Carius told me. "That is how weak I feel at present. Since the werewolves captured me at the fort, I have been held here by this demon Hircine. Soon, others joined me: one of the Nords, named Heart-Fang, along with a beast named Karstaag. I believe the only hope for escape is to find our way through this maze."

"I was told the same," I replied. "We need to fight our way through the maze and kill the wolves. There's no other way out."

Carius weakly smiled.

"I have been here for too long, my friend. But perhaps together, we can find our way to safety. We must find the key to allow us through the gate in the center of this maze."

"Then we need to hurry," I said. "There are werewolves that could appear at any moment, and we need to get you to safety."

Carius's weak smile didn't disappear.

"I am relieved for your companionship, Ulina. I have no idea how long I have been here, but every single day I was wondering if I was going to see the next. I'm still wondering."

"You will," I promised.

I had already seen enough death and destruction. I was going to do everything I could to prevent another death on my hands.

"Then together, we will fight our way through these demon hordes and escape this evil prison. There is a door in the center of this maze, but we will need a key to enter."

"Do you know where the key is?"

"No," Carius confessed. "But we will find it and leave this place."

As we continued onwards, fighting many more werewolves in the process, I couldn't help but notice that Carius was growing weaker. I tried to do as much of the fighting on my own as possible, but making Carius stay behind and hide would no doubt fail; he had signed up to die fighting for his cause after all. It was only as we neared the end of the outer maze that it became too much.

"Wait, Ulina, my friend."

I paused, looking around for anymore werewolves. There were none in sight, but I couldn't help but be on my guard nonetheless. I mean, could you blame me?

"I can go no further," Carius's voice was barely a whisper. It was as if he was having a hard time getting the words out at all.

I knew, realistically, that the captain was close to death, but I couldn't allow it. Not on my conscience.

"No," I insisted. "Carius, we'll both make it out of this!"

We both had to.

"No," I uttered out, suddenly.

I felt as if I was back in the Clockwork City, attempting and failing to save Julan's life. Some part of me felt as if it was going to be exactly the same. More deaths that I could have prevented.

"We're almost at the gate, Carius," I continued.

Carius shook his head.

"Ulina," he began to reply, "why slow down the inevitable? You are more powerful than I…you could be the victor…you  _must…"_

In the distance, I heard the sound of werewolves howling.

"Take care if you encounter the others," Carius warned. "Karstaag is a wild creature, and will certainly try to kill you. Heart-Fang worries me...there is something wild in his eyes that I do not trust."

I would have asked for more detail on that, but I knew that Carius was most likely going to die here. I couldn't.

"Good luck, Ulina...hurry, the wolves are coming."

For a few moments, I stared at Carius, before turning towards the Inner Maze, a feeling of guilt tugging at my chest the entire time. When I was out of sight, I heard the sound of Carius's screams pierce through the air.

_Why?_

There was no time to stop and feel the guilt that would no doubt eat away at me, although not in the same manner as Julan's death. Carius was only here to take charge over Fort Frostmoth. He didn't ask for this; he didn't ask for any of this.

He didn't deserve to die.

As I found myself closer to the gate, I found a small, glowing chest. But the catch?

It was surrounded by three Werewolves.

I had gotten this far, I could beat these wild bastards. I felt sure of it, and unsheathed Trueflame, which attracted the wolves like moths to the light of the moon. It took awhile, but I managed to make quick work of them, but the injuries I sustained to my shoulders, legs and stomach was obvious. Blood stained the clothing I was wearing, and there were quite a few tears in the cloth, exposing my wounds to the open cold.

I used a weak healing spell, mostly to conserve magicka. I was well aware that I wouldn't be able to heal everything using that spell, but I needed to conserve magicka to ensure I didn't  _die._

Then, I opened the glowing chest and grabbed the key. It was a large, rusty looking thing, but not too heavy. It was a pain in the leg to open the gate with it though, but I managed.

As soon as I entered the inner maze, I practically tiptoed everywhere, hoping no one or nothing would see me. I had already had enough of werewolves to last me a lifetime.

"It's you, Ulina!"

I sharply turned around, and then breathed a sigh of relief when I realized who it was.

Tharsten Heart-Fang.

There were two things that bothered me about this, though. For one thing, he was in good shape, even though I knew he had been gone for a few weeks now. The second thing is that he actually looked happy to see me.

Heart-Fang? Looking happy to see me? I guess that being trapped at the whim of a daedric prince had taken its toll on him.

"Yes," I finally managed to reply, cautiously. "It's me."

"How did you get to this place?"

By the kind and considerate wolves bringing me here, of course!

"Wolves," I replied, before I went on to explain what had happened since he had disappeared. Heart-Fang didn't even show any sort of surprise, much to my confusion.

"The captain you searched for…he died a warrior's death," Heart-Fang replied after I had finished telling the story. I scowled slightly. I had no idea how to respond to that comment.

"But as for now, we are in the fight for our lives," he went on to say. "We've little time, I fear. The frost giant Karstaag has gone ahead. Even now, I fear he may win this battle before me."

"There may be a solution to this," I began. Heart-Fang looked at me for a few moments.

"Perhaps together we can fight through this place," he said. "To the end. With you by my side, the Hunter will have met his match. Heart-Fang will bring glory to his people! What say you, Ulina?"

"As long as it ends with us all getting out of here alive," I said through gritted teeth.

I don't entirely know why, but something about Heart-Fang unsettled me. More than usual, I mean. He pissed me off before, as he did treat me like I was something he had found on the bottom of his shoe. But something didn't seem right here. I couldn't quite place it.

"Then let us go. I will reach the end of this Hunter's game!" Heart-Fang declared.

Heart-Fang was a useful ally, at least when it came to fighting the werewolves we crossed on our path. His fighting style was wild; like an untamed bull racing in to charge at any perceived threat. It was rather unsettling to witness, but it didn't take us long to reach the next part of the maze, and for that I'll give him most of the credit.

It didn't take me long to find the next chest, but as soon as I opened it, it was empty. Where was the key? I turned around, and Heart-Fang gave me a smile that made the hair on the back of my neck rise.

"This is as far as we go, Ulina," he began. "I have the key to reach the next stage of the Hunter's challenge, and only  _I_  shall continue."

_What?_

After Heart-Fang said those words, I knew exactly what he meant. The back-stabbing piece of guarcrap bastard!

"Seriously?" I asked. Even after all this, my voice ended up sounding deadpan.

Heart-Fang reached to his side, and then held up a key, before shoving it back into his pocket.

I now knew the only reason Heart-Fang was glad to see me was because he was hoping that I was going to die. By  _his_  hand, no less.

Well, he could go to Oblivion for all I cared! If I was going to die, it was  _not_ going to be here.

"This Hunt is for Heart-Fang and Heart-Fang  _alone!"_ Heart-Fang declared. "Many generations have I lived now, Hircine's Ring on my finger. This Hunt is my birthright!"

Hircine's ring?  _What?_

"You  _do_ know we'd both have a better chance of getting out of here if we fought  _together,_ right?"

I knew it was going to be no use in continuing to discourse with the guy, but if I unsheathed Trueflame now, I knew I'd be dead on the spot. What options did I have?

"You can take the glory. You can take it  _all._  I don't even care."

What use did I have for any "glory" now?

"No!" He growled. There was something animalistic in his eyes as he spoke. "We'd both have been pitted against each other in the end anyway. Heart-Fang  _alone_  shall face the Hunter. Heart-Fang  _alone_  shall earn the glory of the Hunt! See now the power I was born to wield! You now face Heart-Fang in his true form, the form he was born to wear!"

Heart-Fang's clothes and armor began to tear off his body, leaving behind a trail of metal and rags on the stone floor. His features began to twist into that of a beast's, leaving no trace of humanity left in his face. Fur began to appear all over his body as he transformed.

I found myself staring into the bright, yellow eyes of a wolf.

I could never have seen such a thing coming.

And I didn't have time to think about it, either. I unsheathed Trueflame. The wolf tried to knock it out of my hand, but I saw that coming, quickly stabbing it in the chest, watching as a pool of blood spouted and covered the room.

The wolf collapsed onto the floor, before slowly transforming back into the man I had seen moments before, now having been taken by death.

This was mostly his fault, though, so I felt no remorse.

I retrieved the key from Heart-Fang's body, before continuing onwards into the next gate, which was just as much of a pain to open as the last one. I wandered down a short, narrow corridor before I found my way through to the end.

It didn't take me long to find Kastaag. As soon as I found him, I couldn't help but wonder just how many godsdamned eyes he had, but I didn't have long to wonder. The giant attacked me as soon as he laid eyes on me.

A loud screech filled the room, and he charged. I ducked, in an attempt not to be hit in the face with those large, terrifying horns on the top of Karstaag's head. But as a result, I ended up knocking my head against one of the stone pillars in the room.

That, and falling down the stairs as well.  _Wonderful._ I'm surprised I didn't break my neck. My head hurt more than it ever had in my entire life, and that was saying something.

I had to get up quickly though, otherwise I knew I'd be dead.

Karstaag was a frost giant. A  _frost_ giant. That meant that he had to be weak against fire, right?

Well, I had plenty of fire at my disposal. And my magicka had recharged, albeit a little bit.

I decided to take the chance and cast the most powerful fire spell I had at my disposal. The result? Karstaag's filthy, white fur caught on fire, leading him to let out another loud screech, filling the room with it. Other than that, he was still going strong, ready to knock me down again.

Well, that didn't go exactly as planned, did it?

He had to have a weak spot somewhere.

And then it hit me. His eyes. If I managed to blind the giant, he wouldn't be able to see. And then I'd be able to attack him easily enough.

Even if it took a lot of mental strength, I decided maybe it might be a good idea to paralyze him first. I had a scroll somewhere in my pocket. I pulled it out, quickly saw the inscriptions, and casted it in the direction of Karstaag.

This seemed to, surprisingly enough, work out. The giant became as stiff as a board, and fell to the floor. But considering his size, I knew it wouldn't last long. At that point I took the chance to run with Trueflame in hand, and stab out his eyes. All five of them. Blood spirted everywhere.

Karstaag screamed. He wasn't paralyzed enough that he couldn't scream, meaning it was going to wear off. He managed to drag himself off the ground, but he wouldn't be able to see. I took the chance to stab the giant directly in the back, and watched as he fell into one of the pillars, knocking it down with him. Stone and rubble fell all over his body, finishing the rest of the work for me.

Karstaag was dead.

I took a deep breath, and then found myself sinking to the floor, panting. I was covered in blood, both my own and all those that had found themselves dead that night.

It was a wonder I was even still alive, after all the deaths I had been responsible for. Heart-Fang, Karstaag, all those werewolves…

I quickly drank one of the health potions that I had stuffed into my pocket earlier, not having had the chance to use it prior due to all the fighting I had to do. It was enough to keep me off of death's doorstep.

Before I could even take the time to think through everything, I noticed a glowing portal right before me. That was probably the way out. But I wasn't sure. At this point, I expected  _anything._ So, I pulled myself to my feet and slowly walked towards it, but before I could enter, I had a nasty surprise waiting for me.

A puff of smoke appeared right in front of the portal, and a figure materialized right before me.

It was Hircine.

_How predictable._


	10. One Remains

**Chapter Nine: One Remains**

_21st of Midyear, 3E 429_

I stood there before Hircine, breathing heavily. I was tired, and quite frankly surprised I had even made it through this alive, but still determined not to die.

After what I had seen, I could not die.

" _So..._ you _are the one,"_ Hircine began. To be honest, he sounded just as surprised as I felt. " _You, pawn of Azura, have escaped my hounds and beaten back the other challengers. I had rather expected the giant to prevail, but no matter."_

Once more, I couldn't help but be taken back to when I had first read The Stranger. I couldn't help but remember the last verse, and how, despite the fact that it was written for a different situation, it seemed entirely fitting here.

_Many fall, but one remains._

I narrowed my eyes in Hircine's direction.

"Does that disappoint you?" I couldn't help but ask.

 _"You have proven yourself a worthy hunter,"_ was Hircine's dismissive response, _"and you have earned the greatest honor that can be bestowed upon a mortal: you are to be my prey."_

Oh, yes. The chance to be killed by Daedric Prince. What an honor  _that_  is! I could feel myself positively jumping with joy at the news!

I resisted the urge to snort at Hircine's words, for there was no way I'd enjoy this in the slightest.

" _I ask you, though: what is it that makes a hunter great. Is it his strength? The speed with which he strikes? Or is it his guile, the ability to outwit his prey?"_

The answer to me was quite obvious, based on my experiences within the past few years. I felt as if most of my enemies had underestimated me many, many times...had never really seen me coming...

"Guile."

I may have been mistaken, but I thought I heard Hircine chuckle, indicating he wasn't entirely surprised by my answer.

 _"Then so you have chosen, and so shall be your fate,"_ he finally said. " _We have little time - the Bloodmoon sinks low in the sky."_

Hircine dramatically slammed his spear into the ground.

 _"Prepare yourself, mortal, for now you are the Hunted._ "

I suddenly found myself ducking and rolling away as Hircine aimed his spear directly towards my face. Instead of tearing my entire face apart, Hircine ended up stabbing the floor, cracking the stone in the process. I rolled in the direction of one of the pillars, pulling myself to my feet and then casting a fire spell in Hircine's direction.

The air smelled of smoke. I felt as if I wasn't careful, the whole room would burst into flames. Hircine was covered in flames for a few seconds, but after a few minutes the flames were gone.

He moved towards me again, and I felt the weight of every step he took. I couldn't cast any more spells, as I was drained of magicka. But I did have Trueflame.

This was going to take some work.

I attempted to hit Hircine's legs, but this effort was in vain. He was still more powerful than I was. There was no way I was going to win this.

_"No, Ulina," my father said to my after I struck the dummy – a pathetic thing made of straw. I turned to him, and he folded his arms over his chest, before walking towards me and moving the sword in my hand. "Listen to me," he told me, "the best way to take down an enemy is when he cannot see you coming."_

I still had an invisibility amulet. That was one of the few things that I  _didn't_ sell when I left Vvardenfell. Hircine couldn't see me, much to my surprise. Didn't daedric princes ever think to use Detect Life? Apparently not. Or maybe Hircine wanted this to be a fair fight? I wasn't going to ponder my advantages  _now._ Not when Hircine was still trying to kill me.

I looked around, and there was no way out. Not yet. But a figure appeared before me. I couldn't see who it was, but the figure had a height that was quite familiar to me.

"Remember my wisdom, Ulina," I heard the voice say. That's when it clicked for me.

_"Father?"_

Dranen chuckled.

"Yes, Ulina," he replied, "so sleep deprived but still using the last of your strength in battle. Battles I never wanted to you to fight in. But I am still proud of you, as any father would be."

I wanted to take the time to ask him about that statement, but Dranen could already sense the question coming, given the look on his face.

"Of course, I'm your father," he continued, "after all, I'm the one that raised you. My foolish brother doesn't deserve the credit for the woman you've become, fighting battle after battle as you've had to since the year you had to leave us."

Dranen gave me a weak smile.

"Continue to fight, Ulina," he told me, "don't let our sacrifices be in vain."

The figure then changed into someone else within the blink of an eye. Someone with long, black hair and stained glass armor. Someone with a mischievous smile.

"Ulina, you can do it!" Julan cried, the optimism unmistakeable. "Think of everything you've had to do so far!"

"Julan," I began, "I'm about to  _die."_

He shrugged.

"You've been close to death so many times before," was his response. "If you die now, it'll have all be for  _nothing._  I would have died for  _nothing._ Is that what you want?"

We exchanged looks for a moment, before Julan spoke again.

"I think you and I already know the answer."

Julan disappeared, and I found myself in the middle of the fight again, Trueflame in hand. I found myself in a duel with Hircine, feeling like it lasted hours. But that was alright, I had the energy for it.

I felt like I had more energy than I had in my entire life. As if I had been asleep for years, but had only now been awoken.

The duel continued; My sword and his spear hitting each other, the floor, the pillars, each other –

 _"Enough!"_ Hircine growled.  _"You are weakened, mortal! This ends now!"_

 _Oh no you don't_ , I thought bitterly. I knew I was running out of magicka again, but now was my chance.

I didn't want Julan to die in vain.

I became invisible again, and ran behind him, all while Hircine was still looking for me. Then, while he couldn't see, I stabbed him from behind, watching as blood spirted everywhere. Hircine let out a scream, and fell to the ground. I watched as Hircine's body turned into dust on the floor, and then a gust of wind blew it away.

As to where that gust of wind came from, I cannot fathom.

The portal from earlier was still standing, but I didn't step through it. Not yet. I needed to catch my breath first.

" _This cannot be!"_ A disembodied voice bellowed through the room. I raised an eyebrow, knowing full-well who it was.  _"The Bloodmoon falls and the prey still lives!"_

"I'm not prey!" I snarled. "And you should have known better than to underestimate me!"

But Hircine merely ignore me and continued.

 _"You may have defeated my aspect but I will return, mortal,"_ he threatened. " _The Bloodmoon will rise again and my hounds will walk the lands. Let this world enjoy it's brief respite, for Hircine will hunt again!_ "

Whatever.

I stood up, and walked towards the portal. It was hard to walk, especially after everything I had been through that night. But somehow, I managed to stumble towards the portal, and was engulfed cool, blue flames.

Within a split second, I found myself falling in the snow outside Skaal Village. I felt myself being blinded by the recent snowfall, and the sky above.

Daytime. It was daytime. I hadn't slept in goodness knows how many hours and I was exhausted. If it wasn't the battles that had happened the night before, then I knew sheer exhaustion would have been what killed me.

"Ulina?" I thought I heard someone say. "Has she returned? Thank the All-Maker!"

My vision was blurry. I couldn't see who it was.

"Someone go get the Shaman!" I heard someone else shout. I felt a pair of strong hands lift me from the ground, and that's when everything went completely black.


	11. Night Without Stars

**Chapter Ten: Night Without Stars**

_Date Unknown_

_The night was clear, and there was barely a star in the sky._

_My father and I sat outside the back of the small apartments, not too near to the entrances of the shops. My father looked towards me, and gestured to his pipe, which I lit by casting a fire spell I had learned not too long ago. My father then took a deep breath, and began to inhale, before turning to me, and nodding._

_"Thank you, Ulina," he said. "You've learned a lot during those lessons of yours at the Temple, haven't you?"_

_I nodded, not sure exactly why my father had asked me to come outside and sit with him at this time of night. I knew I couldn't sleep, but normally my father would just tell me to go back to bed, not invite me to sit outside with him._

_I guess he decided to be more lenient given that it was my birthday._

_"I can't believe you've finished all those lessons already," he continued. "Have you thought about what you want to do next?"_

_I winced slightly. I knew my father wasn't exactly going to approve of my choice, but there was nothing he could really do about it. Besides, he had once told me I could do anything I set my mind to._

_And I had set my mind to this._

_"Maybe start studying magic further," I began. My father raised his eyebrows. "I mean, I might join the Mages' Guild and begin studying Restoration and Destruction, and maybe other schools of magic. I know I'm not the best at magic, but – "_

_My father held up a hand._

_"Are you sure that's the path you want to take, Ulina?"_

_I knew what was coming._

_"You don't need to be held-up by bureaucratic regulations to learn magic, you know."_

_My father took another drag from his pipe before speaking again._

_"There are other ways to learn the craft," he continued. "Better ways. You can learn all you need to learn through practical experience through life."_

_I scowled._

_"Are you saying the Arcane University wouldn't accept me?"_

_"No, not at all!" My father chuckled. "If they don't, they'd be fools. You were born under the sign of the Mage; that means your magicka is going to be stronger than that of most others. That fact alone should make them consider accepting you. But the Mages' Guild would want a particular path for you. They would want you stay in the University or in one of their branches, and you would learn_ nothing else.  _Is that really the path you want?"_

_We exchanged looks for a moment, before my father sighed and then took another drag from his pipe._

_"I just don't want you to live a life with any regrets," he stated._

_It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him a question as to whether or not this insight was from experience, so I decided to give it a shot._

_"Father, do you have any regrets?"_

_My father seemed taken aback by the question._

_"Not exactly," he replied. "There are things I wish had gone differently, but regrets? No. I have two daughters that mean the world to me. For the sake of both you and your sister, I have no time for regrets."_

_"What about my mother? Don't you have any regrets about her?"_

_My father sighed._

_"Only that she died too soon," he said, his voice dark. "I wish I could have found a cure for her disease, so that she could be alive to see who you've become. She would be very proud of you, Ulina."_

_My father took another drag from his pipe, before speaking again._

_"Ai…perhaps Serethi is right," he muttered. I had no idea if he was speaking to me or himself at this point. "Perhaps you are now old enough to know the truth, but…"_

_"The truth about what?"_

_"Your mother made a great sacrifice for you, Ulina," my father said. "She did what she had to do to keep you safe. To keep us all safe. And I made her a promise that I would protect you…and all of us. I cannot tell you everything now, but someday I will. But I will say this; she would agree with me in saying that you can do anything you set your mind to; whether in the Mages' Guild or beyond…"_

* * *

_Before I could stop her, Eriama leapt forward and tried to grab onto the Redguard, but he only slapped her away like she was a fly. He then went forward towards Lillia, who was backed away into a corner. Lillia looked around for a way out, but she was surrounded. I let out a small scream, and the Redguard turned around._

_"Leave her alone," I said. I intended for it to come out menacing, but it came out as a squeak instead. He glared in my direction._

_"What'll you do?" He sneered. "Scream our ears off?"_

_Remembering the dagger I had strapped to the side of my leg - which was biting into my skin by now - I pulled it out and held it up._

_"Jorad, the Dunmer girl has a weapon," I heard one of the Imperials hiss. The Redguard's - Jorad's - eyes widened and he let Lillia go, before nearing me with a frighteningly interested expression._

_"Smart girl," he remarked, before roughly grabbing my wrist. "Too smart for your own good, you are."_

_I still held the blade in one hand, and stabbed Jorad's left shoulder. He let go of me in an instant, while blood dripped onto my dress. My dress was white, so it'd be permanently ruined, but that was not what was on my mind at that current moment. Jorad pushed me over, but ran away before I could get up. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the Imperials quickly stab Lillia, and she fell to the floor. I heard Eriama scream, before she rushed to her friend's fallen, bloody body._

_I wanted to scream, too._

_But I couldn't. What I had just witnessed was enough to stun me into silence. Everything suddenly felt colder than it did before. I felt the bile rise in my throat; it took a great deal of effort not to throw up._

_I managed to pull myself to my feet, rushing to my sister, who had cuts and bruises that were being unattended. It seemed during that moment she didn't care. She was sobbing into Lillia's bloody body, and covering herself with more blood in the process. I went to comfort her, still holding the blade in my hand._

_"Ulina, what are we going to do?" Eriama whispered. "Lillia's dead and I'm scared and I don't know what to do…"_

_I let my hands drift to her messy black hair._

_"I'm scared,_ _too_ _, Eri," I admitted, pulling her into my arms and holding her close. I was scared more than I wanted to admit. I had seen someone die. Someone I once knew was brutally murdered and it was something I had never expected to see._

* * *

_I didn't say another word until we arrived in the Prison District. I was guided into a small room, where I was forced to give up my possessions – including my tattered, ruined dress – and wear old prison garb. I was glad Phillida had given me some semblance of privacy. I don't think I could stand humiliation on top of everything else I was feeling tonight._

_When I came out, I thought I saw my father, who was standing by the wall, with a solemn gaze._

_"Why would you do this?" He asked me. There was no trace of anger in his tone, which was what I had (admittedly) been expecting. Instead, there was only sadness. For some reason, that only made me feel worse._

_"Father, I didn't," I whispered. "I promise you, I didn't. I had to keep Eri_ _safe."_

_He only shook his head._

_"Can't you see that by doing so, you've unleashed a whole series of events that can never be changed?" He demanded. "You'll be lost to us, Ulina. I won't be able to protect you."_

_"Father –"_

_I couldn't say another word to my father, for I had been dragged away, and shoved into a cold, dark prison cell. The violent way the guard had done so had caused me to fall to the floor. My knees hurt, but somehow, I managed to drag myself to the damp bedroll before me._

_I curled up into a ball, letting tears fall down my cheeks, wishing and praying to the Nine Divines that sleep would take me._

* * *

_Was it a storm?_

_Yes, it was._

_But it was no normal storm. It was a very dusty storm, and she had to work hard to keep it out of her eyes. The skies were an ominous red, too. A young girl was shielding her face, keeping the dust out of her eyes as she continued to approach a strange woman._

_"What am I doing here?" The girl demanded, shouting over the storm, hoping the woman would hear. "Tell me, because I know you have something to do with this!"_

_The woman responded in a fairly normal voice, it was a wonder that the girl could hear her._

_**"They have taken you from the Imperial City's prison, first by carriage and now by boat. To the East, to Morrowind. Fear not for I am watchful."** _

_The storm gradually began to worsen, but the girl wouldn't let that stop her. Not now. Not when she was so close to getting the answers she seeked._

_"But why me?" the girl cried._

_The girl thought she saw a hint of a smile on the woman's face._

_**"Because you have been chosen."** _

_"Wake up!"_

_Before I knew it, I was being violently shaken awake. I looked up and saw the other prisoner from before; an older Dunmer with various scars across his face and chest. Considering the time we had spent together over Gods' only knew how long anymore, I had yet to learn the man's name. We had barely conversed. I almost screamed, but I shut my mouth before I could, and instead looked up, but didn't speak._

_"Stand up," he instructed. I tried, but I felt as if my legs were jelly, and only slumped back into the bed. The other prisoner then extended a hand and I took it, letting him help me to my feet. "There you go," he told me._

_I rubbed my eyes, and touched my forehead. My head hurt, but I had no idea why. All I knew was that it was annoying._

_"Who are you?" I asked. "Where am I? How -?"_

_"Slow down," he said. "My name is Jiub."_

_He had a Morrowind accent, and it was quite strong. Stronger than my father's, and even stronger than Serethi's. It kind of made me wonder what his story was, but I decided not to ask._

_Jiub paused, before exchanging looks with me, and then speaking again._

_"Not even last night's storm could wake you, you know," he told me. "And I'm not sure where we are, either, but I've heard some say we've reached Morrowind. I'm sure they'll let us go…"_

_I essentially stopped listening after I heard Jiub say we'd reached Morrowind. Why would they ship me off _that_  far away? Just how  _dangerous_  did they think I was?_

* * *

_Later that night, while Julan was asleep, I flipped through the copy of _The Stranger_ that Sharn had given me for Caius. Caius wasn't in for some reason. Most likely he was at South Wall, buying more sugar. That or he was asleep. Either way, I couldn't give him the notes. A certain point into the book, I read the final passage. The words were like a warning; I thought they were cold and foreboding._

_Then I read it again._

_Then, the third time I read it, I whispered the words aloud._

" _When earth is sundered, and skies choked black,_

_And sleepers serve the seven curses,_

_To the hearth there comes a stranger,_

_Journeyed far 'neath moon and star._

_Though stark-born to sire uncertain_

_His aspect marks his certain fate_

_Wicked stalk him, righteous curse him._

_Prophets speak, but all deny._

_Many trials make manifest_

_The stranger's fate, the curses' bane._

_Many touchstones try the stranger_

_Many fall, but one remains._ "

* * *

_"You may as well sit down," I heard Caius say. "This is probably going to take awhile."_

_I then did as he asked, still feeling the shock from the words he spoke. Caius cleared his throat, reached for his pipe, and continued with a grim expression._

_"Let me make a few things clear before we begin, Ulina. I do not know all the details to this story, only what was relayed to me after your arrival," he continued. "How the Emperor knows this information, I don't know, but I honestly don't care to know, either."_

_I almost sighed, but I couldn't. I didn't have the strength to say anything or make so much as a single noise. Caius took a drag from his pipe, before continuing._

_"You were correct about being born in Mournhold, because you were. At least, that's what we know. But not to the Therayns', oh no."_

_Then to whom? I supposed that no one knew the answer to that question._

_"You were apparently left on the doorstep of their home not long after their daughter, Eriama, was born. You weren't any older than two, wrapped up in blankets and left in a basket outside their home in Godsreach. Apparently there was a note enclosed, but it only ever gave them one clue as to who one of your birth parents was."_

_I scowled, and upon seeing the look on my face, Caius did as well. He knew what I was thinking._

_"They tried to find out," he said, in a tone that suggested he was trying to assure me._

_It wasn't working._

_"But due to how expensive and lengthy a process it was, and the family's diminishing wealth as a result of Llethsea's sickness, they decided to take you in as their own rather than abandon you to the streets of Mournhold or the orphanage in outer Almalexia. I have no idea what their intentions were when they did so, but somewhere in this story, there seemed to be one."_

_It made no sense; no family would take in someone else's child if there were in financial turmoil. But that was the story I was being given._

_"Now Dranen…" Caius hesitated. "He gambled, Ulina. He gambled, quite frankly, more than he should have. We've probably all gambled a little in our lifetimes, but not to the point where you lose the entire family fortune or your home or the respect of the entire city…most of what Dranen lost."_

_But how? That didn't sound like the father I knew. The father I knew worked hard and was so cautious of spending any money at all._

_Maybe it was a result of his past? I had no idea._

_"But that was as a result of losing a great deal of the fortune beforehand, trying to find a cure for what ailed his wife."_

_Caius sighed, and then took another drag of his pipe, filling the room with sickly smelling smoke._

_"Not long after you became a part of their lives, they all relocated to Cyrodiil," he continued, "as Dranen didn't want the loan sharks to find his family and make them apart of the whole mess. Apparently, they had already threatened to do so. So the family relocated to Cheydinhal along with Llethsea's sister, Serethi."_

_I raised an eyebrow._

_"I'm sorry," I began, cautiously. This was the first time I had the strength to speak. "Did I hear that right? Llethsea's…sister?"_

_Caius nodded._

_"Yes, you did hear me correctly. Your stepmother was also your adoptive mother's sister," he said. "After Llethsea died in Cheydinhal, the family again relocated to the Imperial City. You probably don't remember any of this, given how old you must have been at the time, allowing Dranen and Serethi to fabricate whatever lies they wished. Whether or not it was to protect you and your sister or to allow their guilty consciences to rest is in question. They lived like this for fifteen years, with no troubles or worries over their heads. At least nothing major."_

_"Nothing major until the night Lillia died," I pointed out, with my tone sounding flat._

_Caius nodded._

_"Yes, Ulina. You are correct. Nothing major until the night you were arrested in the Imperial City waterfront. You don't need to relive this again; for I already know enough about it…as do you."_

_Thank the Nine for that._

_"But a few days after you were arrested, Dranen had to come clean on a few matters. Such as what I just discussed with you. And somehow, it reached the Emperor's ears."_

_But why? The Emperor had no reason to be interested in me. I was no one. I was a dot on the world compared to him. Caius smiled slightly, for some reason I could not fathom, before continuing._

_"I don't know what Emperor Uriel Septim VII sees, but he's said to see more than most," Caius explained. "I can believe that. He's a most extraordinary man, even by Septim standards. But enough about that. He must have seen something that involved you."_

_"You do know how ridiculous that sounds to me, right, Caius?"_

_Much to my surprise, Caius nodded._

_"You can think what you like about prophesies or visions being nonsensical," he told me. "And Divines know I certainly did…"_

_He paused, exchanging looks with me, before continuing._

_"…but that doesn't change the fact that whatever Uriel Septim saw or heard means he saw something in you as well."_

_I met Caius's gaze, knowing something else was going to be said. Which there was._

_"He considers you important, Ulina."_

* * *

_"Look at you, little one," Venim jeered. "No one believes you can actually do this. You'll die in this arena pit like all the rest before you, prophecy or no prophecy."_

_I shot him a glare._

_"Shut. Up," I ground out, then, while he wasn't expecting it, stabbed him in the shoulder. Venim staggered backwards as a result, and then held onto his shoulder as if it would fall off. I neared him._

_"You don't who I am, or what I've had to do to get this far," I began harshly. "You know so little, but you presume to judge me based on what little you know. Just how selfish are you that you would let Morrowind suffer because you cannot admit that an Outlander can do just as good a job as most natives?"_

_"You know nothing, Outlander!" Venim snarled, before attempting to stab me again. I didn't think about it. I didn't have time to. I just rolled to the side, got up and grabbed Venim by the neck before he could react. I then pushed him to the floor and picked up his daedric longsword - it was so heavy I felt my arms begin to shake - and threw it across the room. It was far beyond his reach now. Thankfully._

_He looked towards me, the confusion apparent. I tried not to smirk._

_"You know, I don't have to kill you," I said. Venim spat in my face after that. Now, that just wasn't polite. What did I ever do to him, aside from asking for a small favor?_

_"Go to Oblivion! How dare…I will...never,_ _never..."_ _he continued to spit in my direction. "...stoop so low as to accept _your_  mercy. I am  _above_  asking Outlander scum for mercy."_

_"Then you realize this means I'll have to kill you?"_

_"Get on with it," Venim snapped, "before I change my mind."_

_So, with much regret, I stabbed him. While I shouldn't have expected this to end any differently, some part of me was wishing it had. But my thoughts were drowned out by a sudden, loud whistle from the crowd above, before there was the distant sound of a slow clap._

_Julan._

_Then, there was a cheer from Shani. A few moments later, more people amongst the crowd began to clap. Eventually, it seemed like everyone was either clapping, whistling or chanting my name or a title. They were celebrating my victory, and no one was doubting my abilities anymore._

_I had won._

_I. Had._ _Won._

* * *

_"Remember, my love, that I'm not afraid to die." Julan and I were now facing the door to Dagoth Ur's citadel. "But that doesn't mean I'm planning on it. And if_ I'm _not dying, you're certainly not dying either. This is no suicide mission. This is just like any other quest. We complete it, and we go home. Now let's do this."_

* * *

_"Pathetic, husband," she sneered. "Once you were a worthy opponent in battle. If you wanted to, you would have been able to defeat me with little effort. Now you are not even a_ _shadow_ _of your former self."_

_I took the time she spent speaking to cast a shock spell, which she gracefully dodged._

_"Maybe that's because I'm_ _not_ _your husband," I retorted. "My name is Ulina Therayn, not Indoril Nerevar. And I swear I will take you down…or I'll die trying."_

_We fought our way to one of the metal bridges not too far away, all while violet fire and sparks continued burning and crackling between us as the sounds of metal against metal rung in my ears. I tried not to fall over the edge, instead ducking to the side whenever Almalexia tried to stab me with her sword. In the corner of my eye, I saw Aiden and Julan, who both seemed to be following us._

_"I told you to_ _go,"_ _I yelled. "Go! Hide!"_

_For some reason, I felt my body stiffen after I said those words. I couldn't move and I felt as if all my strength had been drained. My eyelids grew heavy, and I felt as if they were about to snap shut._

_No. No, my eyes need to stay open._

_"ULINA!"_

_The sound of Julan shouting my name gave me even more motivation to keep my eyes open. Even as I struggled to keep my eyelids open, but I knew that the shadowy figure of Almalexia stood over me. And I knew she was about to _kill_  me._

_My vision slowly came back, but I still couldn't move. This became evident to me as I struggled to reach for Trueflame, which had fallen beside me. It was no use._

_"This ends_ _now_ _, Nerevar," I heard Almalexia spit. There was nothing in the way of her insanity and my imminent death now._

_Suddenly, I caught a flash of dark hair, glass armor and a strong, steel sword that was supposed to be used to fend off Hopesfire. The sword shattered, and Hopesfire pierced through the glass cuirass, and through his back, before his body limply fell to the floor._

_No._

* * *

_"Easy there, outsider."_

_I sat up and looked around, trying to figure out where the hell I was. Seemingly, it was inside a warm, log cabin. A fire was roaring nearby. I felt the blanket I had been lying underneath. It seemed as if it had been made from wolf pelts._

_Standing by the fire was an elderly, Nord man wearing a full, fur outfit. He looked at me._

_"You have awoken," he continued. He picked up a wooden cup, and walked towards it, handing it to me. I took it, but didn't drink it._

_"Um, who are you?" I couldn't help but ask._

_The old man chuckled slightly._

_"I suppose you are right to ask; I am Korst Wind-Eye, the shaman of the Skaal," he replied._

_As soon as he said those words, I suddenly remembered everything that had transpired within the last few hours. The attack on the fort, me walking all the way across Solstheim, in pain..._

_"Drink the elixir," Wind-Eye instructed. "It will help you recover your strength that you have lost."_

_I did just that. It had a weird – although not entirely unpleasant – milky taste to it. But as soon as I did, my headache was gone. My heart stopped pounding in my chest. Wind-Eye then took the cup, and sat down across from me on a wooden stool._

_"I sense that much is troubling you, outsider," Wind-Eye began. "I thought as much when I saw you collapse just outside our village. You were suffering weakness from the evil sugar...or so it seemed. It was almost as if you were drowning."_

_Oh, yes. Skooma. I had hoped if I consumed it enough, I would eventually die. But it didn't seem to work._

_"I have cured you of your physical addiction, outsider," Wind-Eye continued. "But only_ _you_ _can eliminate your own self-hatred."_

_"Self-hatred?"_

_"Yes," he nodded. "Addiction to the evil sugar is generally a sign of deep self-hatred and unresolved insecurities. Even we, the Skaal, have seen this problem amongst our own. Though not as often as with outsiders._

_"That is the part that confuses me," Wind-Eye continued. "I can sense you are powerful. Quite powerful. I sense the magicka that flows through you, your immunity to disease, the fire in your soul...How could one such as you feel so broken...so devastated?"_

_He paused, before continuing._

_"I think you would know more than I, outsider."_

* * *

I sat up, and found myself in the same bed I had awoken in weeks ago, in Wind-Eye's hut. The fire burned on the other side of the room, while a kettle boiled overhead. The fur blanket was warm. I didn't want to leave this bed, but I had to find out what had happened.

My head still hurt, but all my wounds were healed. I felt briefly felt my cheek, and felt the beginnings of a scar.

There were going to be a lot of scars.

"Ulina," I heard a quiet voice utter. "Blodskaal. You are an oddity, but I am grateful for it."

It was Wind-Eye.

"You were part of the prophecy, yet this is the first time I have ever heard of anyone surviving," he remarked. "But as I said in the beginning, you are powerful. I could never understand how broken you were when you first came to us."

"What happened?" I sat up. "How long have I been…asleep?"

I couldn't help but ask. I  _had_ to ask.

"Three days," Wind-Eye told me. "And since then, we've seen a miracle. The prophecy is ended, Ulina. The werewolves dwindle in numbers, the fire in the lake is no more, and the horkers have begun to return to the island. You will be honored among the Skaal for the part you played in this, Ulina."

Wind-Eye turned away from me, and then began to look towards the fire with a somber look.

"I have heard whispers on the wind of the fate of Heart-Fang…" Wind-Eye sighed. "He had been tempted by dark magic and was corrupted by it. I can only hope that our next leader does not suffer the same fate."

Yeah, me neither. Wouldn't want to clean up  _that_  particular mess again.

"As for who that leader will be...only time will tell," Wind-Eye turned to me again. "For now, I will guide the Skaal, until a time when the All-Maker lets it be known who will carry the mantle."

He sighed again.

"It's a shame that you are not Skaal-born, Ulina," he said. "For I think you would be a great leader."

The vote of confidence was nice, but I knew that leading was not what I wanted to do.

"But you will always be welcome among the Skaal," Wind-Eye continued. "You saved us from a terrible threat, and if you were not here, All-Maker only knows what we would have done. Many more of us would certainly have perished."

"I only did what I felt I had to do," I said.

I mean, I couldn't just sit by and do nothing, could I? It just wasn't in my nature.

"As your loved one felt he did what he had to do," Wind-Eye replied. "Do you remember when we spoke of that, Ulina?"

I nodded.

"What do you think he would say now, if he could see you?"

There was a pause, before I spoke.

"He'd tell me to live," I replied. Julan wouldn't just tell me to live; he'd tell me that up until recently, that I'd been a complete and utter idiot, by letting grief overtake me after he'd died. I know that much. I could practically hear him saying so now.

"He died because I am familiar with prophecies," I continued.

This caused Wind-Eye's brows to furrow. "In the land of Morrowind, I am known as the Nerevarine; I defeated the Dagoth Ur and the Tribunal and fulfilled another prophecy. I came here after the events, hoping to escape the backlash. But in the process, I fulfilled another. Julan was murdered by one of the Tribunal."

"Ah," Wind-Eye nodded. "No wonder you came out of the Bloodmoon alive; you've dealt with this sort of power before. But you are still mortal, just like the rest of us. You never let your experiences change how you saw yourself, or others."

"How could I?"

"Many would let the power go to their head, and cause so much destruction it harms their people." Wind-Eye said darkly. "I'm sure you can think of a few examples; I can think of one, and that'd be Heart-Fang. But you never did…and that makes you unique."

He smiled slightly.

"Julan would want you to live, you say," he continued. "So live. Live now that you are free…from prophecies and pain, as he would want it to be."

* * *

On the night of the Bloodmoon, the sky was free from any stars in sight. But now it was sunrise, and there was barely a cloud in the sky.

I sat on the shores of Lake Fjalding, looking towards and ancient ruin I saw in the distance. It looked rather different from all the other ancient buildings I had seen during my time in Solsthiem. In fact, it looked like an ancient burial ruin. But I couldn't be sure.

To the other side of me, I saw horkers pulling themselves from the shores towards the lake, the noises they made becoming music to my ears.

I knew they wouldn't attack me. Not from the respectful distance where I sat.

Despite all I had been through, I felt a certain amount of energy that I had never experienced before. A certain sense of relief; that everything that had been done was complete.

That I could finally rest in peace.

Before when I came to this island the first time, I felt as if I was a failure, largely due to Julan's death and the events that followed. I had fallen into the depths of despair.

But I now know that Julan would have wanted me to live.

_"Do you know why we fall, Ulina?" Serethi asked me._

_I shook my head._

_"So that we can learn from it and rise again," she said._

And now that I was free from all the prophecies I had been apart of, free I shall be. I would rise above everything on my own terms, and I wasn't going to let anyone stop me.

I used to hate swimming, but as Solstheim began to feel a rare heat, the cold body of water was almost tempting.

I slowly pulled myself towards the water, and dived underneath, closing my eyes and letting the lake take me.


	12. Epilogue: Two Hundred Years

**Epilogue: Two Hundred Years**

_23rd of Rain's Hand, 4E 206_

Hircine never did hunt again, and no daedric prince ever called upon me to take part in any more of their ridiculous prophecies.

I stayed on the small, cold island of Solstheim, watching for the first few years after the Bloodmoon prophecy as more colonists settled on another corner of the island and formed Raven Rock, a town with many Imperial settlers. I stayed amongst the Skaal, largely due to their loyalty and hospitality. That and they weren't racist towards me, unlike the Imperial settlers the few times I diverged away from the Skaal.

It wasn't until the advent of Red Year – five years after the Oblivion crisis – that I decided to go into a magicka-based sleep. I knew Julan wanted me to live, but I was already fed-up with the state of Tamriel again.

But this was a sleep that unexpectedly lasted until long after the next era.

It was 4E 175 when I reawoke and had to relearn about the world again. Solstheim was no longer the snowy, desolate wasteland that it once was. It was now home to the Dunmer after the events of Red Year, and they now lived in Raven Rock. But still, even after I awoke, the Skaal were more welcoming towards me than my own kind.

I stayed amongst the Skaal for more than twenty-five years, long after I had first arrived and the first Skaal I knew had long since passed, watching new additions be welcomed into the village and the elderly pass on. By now the Skaal had a new leader, and she led them much better than Tharsten Heart-Fang ever did. She didn't betray them to become a werewolf for starters.

And as I stayed among the Skaal, I heard tales of the world around me, although they affected me little. The Septims no longer ruled the Empire. The Thalmor rose to power. Provinces broke away from the Empire in an effort to become independent.

And Dragons. Dragons had returned. I had even seen them circling the sky above me in Solsthiem, breathing fire, frost and goodness knows what else. And roaring at each other as well as us.

It would have been helpful to know what they were saying. It would also have been helpful if they would just all go away, but we can't be so lucky, can we?

That's another thing. Along with the dragons returning, I had heard there was this person who had managed to stop the most powerful one in existence, back in Skyrim. That and whoever this person was, they could talk to dragons. The lucky bastard. At least if they were going to get blown to smithereens by the things, they knew about it first.

I didn't know too much about them until one day, the shaman's daughter stepped into our village with a tall woman. She wore fur armor, had jet black hair, clear blue eyes and a demeanor that suggested that I shouldn't mess with her. It was hard to tell what race she was, but I had my money on either Nord or Imperial. Or maybe both.

Turns out she wasn't the hero everyone thought she was. Turns out she had a story not unlike my own. As I found out not too long after she invited me to join her on a journey to save Solstheim. Again.

Well, even though there were no Prophecies involved (thank goodness) I wasn't one to just sit by and do nothing. Siting by and doing nothing was starting to become boring now, anyway. And this journey wasn't mine. It was hers. I'd just be by her side, just as many others had been by my side many years before.

There were a few adventures I went on after that, but those stories are not mine to tell. Those stories belong to the one known as the Dragonborn. I may be immortal, but  _my_  story is finished. And the diary I wrote it in is now running out of pages, so it now comes to an end.

Or does it? Only I know the true ending for certain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking around for the end of Ulina's journey, and reading it all these years. I've had a few hurdles, but I've largely enjoyed writing her story. I'm not finished with the character, however...just saying that in case you didn't get the jist already. ;)
> 
> In the meantime, I'm going to be taking a break from posting and the next major Elder Scrolls series I do is going to be written at my own pace. I have a ton of stuff that never made it into this series as well, so I want to write those stories as well. But it's going to have to wait.
> 
> Along with all the readers, thanks to Kateri for sharing Julan and his journey with us. Even if he's not largely included in the story this time, he's still important to mention.
> 
> And thanks to Bethesda Game Studios for releasing Morrowind, and inspiring my imagination.


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